The Promise
by CGWolf '13
Summary: It started when Humphrey made a promise. Kate made him promise that he'd keep her sister, Lilly, safe, no matter what happens. Well, this promise brought Humphrey and Lilly closer. Closer than they'd imagined. And Humphrey is going to do everything it takes to keep her safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: It Began With A Promise**

_(Flashback)_

_Watching the Alpha-wolves hunt was all I could think of doing when Kate was not with me. She was down there, with her fellow Alphas. Kate and Garth were both great hunters — that was why they were hunting together. Those two had gotten used to working together to take down caribou. Garth had even saved Kate's life from time to time, making me thankful that he was around. Now, the two were at it again. Both were crouched low, so as not to alert the soon-to-be dinner. Kate moved a few feet forward, and waited a moment before motioning for Garth to move up. He nodded and moved up next to her. The two were side-by-side, crouched down, ready to attack the delicious meat that was standing about ten feet away. They always used the exact same tactics, but would switch places every afternoon so they would not have to take more credit than the other._

_It was Kate's turn for the attack. Garth knew the drill. He stayed put as Kate crawled forward a bit more. From where I was watching, I could see Kate's tongue run across her lips as if she could already taste the caribou's blood. That's when she leaped from the medium-height grass, onto the back of the caribou. Kate sunk her sharp teeth into the animal's neck before it darted forward, bucking all over the place to get Kate to let go. It was a waste of energy. Then again, he was about to be dead soon. So why worry about using energy, right? I watched as Garth stood from the grass and followed after the caribou. His job was to stay in the back, and provide assistance if necessary. He followed and I stood up with excitement at what I was seeing. The caribou could not get Kate off of him. That is, until his eyes caught sight of a tree that had been there for decades. Maybe even centuries. That is how old it looked._

_The caribou ran at the tree, ramming his head into the tree. I watched as the tree slowly started falling. Kate was flung off of the animal, thrown around the side of the tree, directly under the area it was falling to. I heard Garth yell Kate's name as he sprinted toward her. Not running, sprinting. He ran straight at her as fast as his legs could carry him. Kate was frozen in shock as she watched the tree falling down at her. Then she was pushed. Garth pushed her out of the way, only to get himself crushed by the large tree as he yelped loud in pain. That's when I stood up. I really wanted to go down and help, but I was just an Omega. I had none of those skills that they had. All of those stampeding caribou down there would have trampled me. All I could do was stay put and watch, at least until the herd was gone._

_My eyes stayed on Kate. After being saved by Garth, she immediately ran to him, and pushed on the tree. She was trying to roll the large tree off of him, but she couldn't push it alone. Kate kept trying, and trying. Until a caribou jumped over the log, kicking Kate in the process. She was sent backwards, landing on her back. In the path of the stampeding caribou. I couldn't watch, I turned away with my eyes closed. Not seeing anything, I still had the ability to hear. What I heard was Kate's yelp of pain as the caribou trampled her. After a moment, I opened my left eye to take a peek at the scene. The caribou were gone. Dust was hanging in the air. I couldn't see anything. I waited for the dust to clear, which took a minute. Once it was gone, I could see Kate. She was slowly moving. Kate was still alive!_

_I ran down a slope, making my way down to the valley where the scene had just occurred. I approached the fallen tree, which was closer to me. I walked around to the other side, to see blood. Garth's blood formed a puddle around him. Blood dripped from his mouth. I immediately knew Lilly was going to be severely upset about this... Garth was dead. I closed my eyes, and turned away. I opened my eyes to see Kate, moving towards me. I walked toward her. I put my paws under her head, helping her look at me. I wanted to cry at how she looked. A trickle of blood was running from the corner of her mouth. I could see bruises all over her body. Her legs broken, I could tell from the distorted look of them. I told her, "You're going to be all right, Kate. Don't worry."_

_"No, I don't think so..." Kate coughed, "This looks like the end for me."_

_"Don't say that... Please, don't talk like that. You are going to survive." I tried to reassure her._

_It didn't work, I couldn't convince Kate. I knew she was right though, this was the end. I just did not want to believe it. She said, "Just do one thing for me."_

_I asked, "What is it?"_

_She smiled at me and said, "Take care of my sister, keep her safe..."_

_I nodded, and said, "I will, I promise."_

_Tears started to form in my eyes. With that, Kate's eyes closed. That was when the tears started coming. The small droplets of water rolled down my face, falling on to Kate's golden colored fur, on her chest. I let my wolf nature do what it thought was best. I took a deep breath, lifted my head to the heavens, and howled a low-pitched howl of sadness. I was giving a signal to the packs that an Alpha had died. When I finished the howl, I took another breath and repeated the process to show that a second Alpha had died as well. It was not long before the packs came to the area, gasping when they realized who the wolves were. I turned to see Lilly crying. She had lost more than I had. I had lost a friend and a loved one. Lilly had lost a sister and a loved one._

_I walked over to Lilly, putting my front right paw around her, hugging her close. She turned and put her face into my fur, crying into my chest. I let her. She was going through so much, just as I was. I tried to be strong for Lilly. I was going to keep my promise to Kate. I was going to take good care of her sister._

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

That was about five months ago. Most of the wolves were still grieving over the losses of the two Alphas. Lilly and I were effected the most by their passings. I've been living with Lilly, Winston, and Eve. They allowed me to stay with them after I explained about my promise to Kate. It was in the middle of the day. Eve and Winston were eating their caribou. I took a bite of my own piece, before looking over at Lilly. She had not taken even a bite of her own food. I swallowed the chunk I had eaten and asked Lilly, "Is there something wrong with your piece?"

She nodded her head left and right.

I asked, "Why aren't you eating then?"

Lilly answered, "I'm not that hungry..."

Lilly did not eat much ever since Kate and Garth had passed. She would only eat just enough to keep herself alive. I was worried for her. I took another bite of my piece of caribou and chewed a moment before swallowing. I stood up and walked over to Lilly. I said, "If you don't feel like eating, would you like to take a walk with me?"

I figured it could be good. A walk out in the fresh air would be nice. It would clear our heads; maybe even help Lilly get over the losses of her sister and her boyfriend. She slowly stood up and nodded. The two of us walked toward the mouth of the cave. We stopped when we heard Eve's voice call out, "Don't go too far."

I looked back and said, "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

I actually would too. No matter what happened, I would take care of Lilly. It was a promise that I was going to keep. Forever. The two of us walked out of the cave, and turned to the left. I was walking to Lilly's left side. We had no idea where we were walking to. We just walked, and walked, and walked. Eventually, we walked down hill, and came to a little grassy area. This place was familiar to me. It was where Saltey, Shakey, Mooch, and I all slid down the hill on a piece of wood for the first time. That was also... the last day I saw Kate before she left for Alpha school. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to hold back a tear. Lilly knew what was going on. She put her left arm around me and said, "Let's go somewhere else."

I nodded and we continued walking. After about another ten minutes, we ended up at a valley. The same valley where I first thought I lost Kate, before we declared our love for each other. That was also the same day that Garth announced his love for Lilly. I looked to her, seeing a small tear roll down her cheek. I lifted my right paw, and wiped her tear away. She turned to look at me. I could tell this was too much for her, so we continued walking. We passed some trees and boulders for about fifteen minutes before we approached the river that was the boundary of Jasper National Park. We both took a drink from the river, and looked up to see the Howling Rock. The only reason we could cross the boundary was to go up there for the Midnight Howl. Which brought back more memories. Kate and I, along with Lilly and Garth, would go to the Midnight Howl any chance we had.

I looked to Lilly, more memories of the two Alphas came to us both. We were both obviously upset. We turned, and continued our walk. The next area we came to was unfamiliar to Lilly. It was a small little area. Flowers covered the ground like a meadow, but it was secluded by a ring of trees. The only light was that of the sun, that shone through the leaves of the many trees, causing many beams of light spread out through the area. Lilly had no idea where we were, but this is where I was the most upset. Kate and I would come here all the time at night. We would lie next to each other on our backs, and look up at the starry night sky and the large glowing moon. This was our own little area where we could be together in private.

Lilly saw the sadness on my face, or in my eyes. She asked, "Was this place special to you?"

I nodded, "We would come here at night to watch the stars and moon..."

She continued to look at me. Lilly did not even know this, so I told her, "Lilly, I was going to ask her to marry me. In this spot."

Lilly looked at me with sadness in her eyes. The two of us quickly got out of there before we started crying. If I had been there any longer, I would have broken down, crying. After about a half hour of walking, we finally managed to get back to Lilly's home around noon. Lilly went over to the back of the den, and laid down. I lied down next to her. For some reason, I was never comfortable when laying down with nobody next to me. I put my head on my paws and closed my eyes. I did not fall asleep. I just did not want someone to bother me when I was thinking. I liked being alone when I was thinking things over.

Jasper National Park. There were too many memories of Kate here. The walk I took with Lilly showed me that. Everywhere we went would show me that, and I did not like it one bit. There were memories of us as pups. Images of Kate ran through my head, along with the echoes of her laughter. Destiny was not being pretty good to me or Lilly right now. It was torturing us with memories from our pasts. Fate had taken Kate and Garth from us, leaving us in mourning. That was when I made a decision. I was going to leave the territory. But what about Lilly? I promised Kate I would take care of her. How could I just leave her? It was a difficult decision for a wolf to make alone. I had to leave, but I could not and would not just leave Lilly here... Even if she did have her parents to protect her, I had made a promise to Kate. I was going to keep that promise no matter what.

I felt Lilly's paw run under my right eye for a brief moment. I opened my eyes and looked at her. I must have let a tear escape my eye, for I saw a little drop on her paw. She said, "I miss them too, Humphrey..."

I was not thinking about how I missed Kate and Garth. I was thinking about leaving the territory for a while. But, how could I tell Lilly that? Unless...

I looked to Lilly and asked, "Lilly, would you like to come with me?"

That confused her. She did not know what I was talking about. I helped her out, "I'm leaving Jasper for a while. Since I promised Kate I would take care of you, I can't leave you here."

"W-why are you leaving?" Lilly asked, stunned by the news.

I stood up and said, "There are too many memories here. I have to get away for a while to clear my head."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll go, you could use some company. There's just one problem. What about my mother and father?"

"I'll talk with them about it. I'm sure they'll be okay with it..."

* * *

"No." Eve and Winston both answered at the same time.

I pleaded, "I'll take care of her. Please? She told me herself that she wants to go."

Lilly was sitting at the mouth of the cave, staring outside up at the clear blue sky. Her parents looked over me at their daughter. Winston told me to give them a private talk with their daughter. I nodded, turned around, and walked over to Lilly. I said, "Your parents want to talk with you."

She sighed and said, "Okay."

Lilly stood up, turned around, and walked back to her parents, leaving me alone at the mouth of the cave. I could hear their voices, but I was not able to make out what their words were. It was a private conversation anyways, so I decided not to listen. I just looked up at the sky, thinking things over. I tried to think of answers for some questions. First, could a wolf with a broken heart continue to love? I do not know the answer to that, but once I figure it out, i'll let you know. Second, why did fate have to take Kate from me and Garth from Lilly? I do not know that answer to that either.

Hearing footsteps coming toward me from behind, I turned around to see Lilly. I asked what happened and she answered with, "They're letting me go with you."

I looked back at her parents and gave them a smile and a nod of thanks. I turned back to Lilly when she asked, "When are we leaving?"

"Anytime you're ready."

"How about tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good," I nodded.

Even though it was still in the middle of the day, Lilly and I went to the back of the den to lie down and get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day that we never thought would have happened. We were leaving Jasper Park. For how long, we do not know. I guess as long as it takes to get over Kate and Garth. There was one thing I would always do for Kate. Keep a promise. I would definitely keep her sister safe, no matter what happens.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Time To Leave**

_I was walking in the forest. Nowhere near Jasper Park. There was no sound of any kind. Even the twigs and leaves I was stepping on were keeping quiet. What's going on? Did I go deaf for some reason? How did I get out here? Where am I? I kept walking, hoping to be able to hear something. Everything suddenly went white. I held my left paw in front of my eyes, trying to keep myself from getting blinded. It helped. What is going on? I decided to wait for the light to go away. It didn't take long. Only a short moment. I slowly lifted down my paw as the light started to fade away. The light did not completely disappear. It just faded enough for me to see one thing. A silhouette of a wolf, standing before me. __I studied the black outline of the wolf, trying to figure out who it was. The biggest help was the voice that echoed from the wolf. It said, "Humphrey."_

_I instantly knew who it was from the sound of the voice. The voice I had not heard for five months. Five months of mourning. Five months of grief. Five months with no love. The wolf stepped forward so I could see them. Golden fur, golden-brown eyes... Even her voice was the same as I remembered. But, how could this be? She had died five months ago; I knew that better than anyone else. She had died in my arms. What is going on? I just looked at her. Kate smiled and said, "Surprised?"_

_I just nodded. I was too surprised to say anything. Kate walked toward me, and put her right paw on my shoulder as she looked in my eyes and said, "I have been watching over you. You have been taking good care of Lilly, haven't you?"_

_I nodded, and smiled before saying, "I promised you I would. I can't break a promise, specially if it is for you."_

_She smiled and said, "And I thank you for that."_

_I asked, "Are you... alive?"_

_"Technically, no. But, I will always live on in your heart. You know that better than I do. And speaking of hearts... You need to find another one that will care for you..."_

_What? I asked, "What do you mean by that?"_

_All she did was smile, and take a few steps back. She was not going to answer me... She walked backwards, turning herself back into a silhouette. The light grew brighter again. I used my left paw to shield my light-sensitive eyes. A moment later, the light disappeared and I lowered my paw back to the ground. Kate was gone. Even though she was gone, I still heard her voice echo through the forest, "Just keep Lilly safe..."_

* * *

I groaned; I was laying down on rocky ground. The familiar smell of Kate's family's den filled my nostrils. Sensing someone lying next to me, I opened my eyes. I did not expect to see Lilly sleeping, pressed up against my body. The reason I did not expect it was because, when I fell asleep, she was laying farther away from me. I figured that Lilly had gotten cold and moved closer to me for warmth. Who could blame her? Jasper was pretty cold in the mornings, specially with these winds. I realized what had happened. The meeting with Kate must have been a dream. It was the only explanation I could think of. What else was there? But, there was one thing I couldn't figure out. Did the dream mean anything? Or was it just so I could see Kate again? I could not answer that. My gaze turned from the sleeping Lilly over to the mouth of the cave. From the looks of it, the sun rise had not occurred yet. I stood up, making sure not to wake Lilly, and walked out to the mouth of the den. This den was on a short cliff so I sat close to the edge and looked out to the horizon. The sun was going to rise at any minute, and I wanted to watch it happen, just as I always did. Doing this had been different for a while. Kate was not watching it with me.

I forced myself to hold back a tear; I was going to be strong. If I could not do that, there was no way Lilly and I would survive on our own outside of the territory. I had almost forgotten; we were going to leave the territory today to clear our heads of these memories of Kate and Garth. I thought back to the dream I had. What could it have meant? Did it mean anything at all? Kate had told me something that I knew was true. She was not technically alive, but she would live on in my heart. Footsteps came from behind me. I did not check to see who it was, because I already knew. Lilly sat next to me, looking out to the horizon that the sun was now peeking over. The ball of fire was bringing light to the sky. The two of us sat still as the sunrise came up over the horizon of the mountains off in the distance.

"Beautiful... isn't it?" Lilly looked to me.

I looked back at her. The purple eyes and white fur she had never reminded me anything of her golden sister. Their appearances were not similar at all. The only similarities I could find were about their personalities; both were nice, sweet, and caring. I answered her question with a nod and a smile. I did not expect it when she smiled back. Lilly had not smiled even once since they had passed. I just looked down to the ground and said, "I had the strangest dream..."

Lilly looked at me and said, "Really? What was it about?"

I proceeded to tell her about the dream. I told her everything. Stepping on the leaves and twigs with no sound. The bright flash of white light. The black silhouette of a wolf. Kate stepping forward. The short talk I had with her. Then, the second flash of light that took her away from me. I finished with the part where I woke up. I looked back to Lilly and said, "What do you think she meant when she said, 'You need to find another one that will care for you'?"

Lilly thought it over for a minute, probably going through everything that was said. After a moment, she answered, "To me, it sounds like she wants you to move on from her."

I asked her, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I can tell that you think about her quite a bit. Maybe she wants you realize that thinking about her won't bring her back. And that she wants you to find another wolf to love."

I sighed. This was all so confusing. I have no idea what is going on anymore. I looked back to the sunrise. It had risen quite a bit while I told Lilly about my dream. Lilly and I laid down, our heads on our paws as we looked out at the glowing horizon. We laid like that for about half an hour at the least. Until Lilly stood up, looked to me and asked, "You ready to go?"

I said, "Ready when you are."

"Okay, let me say good-bye to mom and dad."

I nodded my head and watched her run inside her home. I watched as she gently shook both of her parents awake. I couldn't hear what she told them, but I knew she was saying it was time to leave. Her parents stood up and gave her hugs. I stood up as Lilly trotted back to me. As she approached, I asked, "What direction should we go?"

She thought for a second, and did not come up with anything. So, I started walking, not knowing what direction I was going at first. Not questioning me, all Lilly did was follow. The white wolf followed me at my right side as I led us down a pathway to our right. We were heading South. I could tell that by the direction the sun was at. I knew it rises in the East, so it was easy to figure out which way was South. Walking across the grass, I looked around at all the wolves looking at the two of us. I figured out that Eve and Winston had told everybody that we were leaving for a while and not to worry about us. As we continued walking on the grass, I took in the scenery. The soft, green grass. The clear blue sky. The familiar faces of the wolves. This was the last time Lilly and I would see them for a while.

We walked up a path, leading in to the forest. Before heading in to the forest though, we turned and went for a cliff. We sat on the cliff for a moment, looking at Jasper. Lilly and I would miss our home while we were gone. But, we knew we were not leaving forever. From this cliff, we could see dozens of wolves coming out of their homes for a day with their families. Families... I often wondered what happened to my family. My mother, my father, my sister. I remember them all, I just do not know what happened to them. I was out playing with my friends and when I came home, they were all gone. Never saw them again... When that happened to me, I immediately went straight to Kate since I thought her parents would be able to find them. They looked for many months, but eventually had to give up. If they were gone for that long, something bad had to have happened.

I looked to my right at Lilly. A small drop of water forced its way from her left eye. I was about to wipe it away with my paw, until she got it herself and turned her head away from me. She walked away. I decided to just let her go wherever, and follow her. We had to stick together. If I got separated from Lilly, there was no way I could keep her safe. I stayed pretty close to her at her side. We walked in silence for a while until she finally spoke to me, "I miss them, Humphrey..."

"I miss them too, but we need to move on. We need to forget them."

She stopped and turned around to look at me before walking closer until she was inches away from me. I sat down just before she did the same. Sadness could be seen in her eyes. She looked as if she was going to cry any second. She said, "I don't want to forget them. Kate was my sister, i'm definitely not going to forget her. And Garth..."

She put her head in to my fur, and began to cry in to my chest. I put my right paw around her, patting her back as I let her cry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: ****Thoughts, Memories, And A Birthday**

Crying was a natural thing. To tell the truth, I wanted to cry as well. But, I was going to be strong for her. She needed somebody to be there for her. I do not even care that my fur was getting wet from her tears. How long had we been crying since Kate and Garth died? No idea. How many tears have we shed? I do not know. How long had I let Lilly cry? I do not know. A few minutes? Hours? I did not care. Once Lilly was finally done with her crying, she lifted her head as she took a step back from me. I lifted my paw and wiped away the tears that remained stationary on her cheeks. She said, "Sorry about that."

"Don't be."

"I just miss them so much..."

I thought for a moment that she was going to start crying again; I was wrong. Lilly was stronger, emotionally, than she appeared. A slight breeze flew by us, going through my white and gray fur and her white fur. I noticed her shiver for a second. I did not realize how cold it was out here until that breeze flew by. I looked at her for a moment before walking to her side. I turned my head to her and said, "Come on, we should keep moving."

She nodded her head and turned to follow at my side. I started walking in the direction we had been going. From the sun's position, I could tell we were still going South. Even though Lilly did not know it, I had an idea for where to go. I had a friend that moved with his wife and family down South. He used to live in Jasper for a while, that was where his children were born. But, for some reason, they all left to live in a place called Glacier National Park. I remembered what his wife looked like. She had red fur, with white running down her stomach, covering her paws, and a red tail that was tipped off with white. I remembered seeing what color her eyes were, blue. He always said her eyes were 'icy' blue though, which I guess was a better way to explain it. As for my friend, he had jet-black fur that contained a scar on the right side of his face. His eyes were emerald-colored.

I had not even seen his pups. But, from what I heard, they had two daughters and one son. Three children in all.

I could not wait to go visit him and ask why he had not stayed in Jasper.

"What are you thinking about, Humphrey?" Lilly asked from my side.

I figured I had looked to be deep in thought, which I was. I told Lilly, "Just thinking about a friend."

"Please—don't mention them..."

"Not them, Lilly. Another friend. One that left Jasper long ago."

I had moved her thought away from Kate and Garth, and on to something else. I could tell she was interested, and wanted to know who. She even asked a few times before I finally told her, "I'm not going to tell you. It's a surprise. I know you were a friend of his wife's."

That made her smile. The thought that a friend of hers was alive made her smile. But, she still did not know who I meant. Since I said it was a surprise, she did not ask anything. I definitely knew Lilly. This girl loved surprises. Which meant Kate, Garth, and I always had some laughs on her birthday when we surprised her with a party full of her best friends. Oh my gosh, that reminds me! I had almost forgotten, Lilly's birthday was three days away! I had completely forgotten until now. With Kate's and Garth's deaths, I had my thoughts on everything except Lilly's birthday. What was I going to do? Perhaps Lilly had forgotten about her birthday too? Maybe I could use that to my advantage as a surprise. Along with Lilly's old friend, the reminder of her birthday, along with an amazing party, maybe I could give her a great day of surprises. She would _really _love that. And, it would get her mind off of her sister and Garth.

I smiled to myself as I thought about what would be happening three days from now.

The smile went away when I felt a drop of water hit my on my right cheek. I stopped in my tracks. Lilly stopped next to me and asked, "What's wrong?"

I ignored her and looked up. Great... The sky was dark, and a drop of water had hit me. I knew what was about to happen. I looked to Lilly and said, "We need to find shelter."

After some struggle finding a place to stay, Lilly and I were sitting inside a cave, watching the pouring rain fall from the sky. The cave was dark, sure, but at least it kept us dry. Well, it would have if the two of us had found it quicker. After we both shook all of the rainwater off of us, I noticed Lilly try hiding a yawn from me. She probably did not want me to know that she was tired. Who could blame her for being exhausted? The two of us had been running for about two hours to find this place. Good that that we had ran South, right? We were that much closer to Glacier Park. I am not sure how much longer it will take to get there.

I asked Lilly, "It's getting late, you want to stay here for the night?"

She nodded and said, "Sure."

* * *

_(The Next Morning)_

Lilly and I had slept in the cave that night, her on my right side. It was cold so we slept pressed against each other for warmth. We were used to sleeping together like that, now that Kate wasn't there with me or Garth for Lilly. I opened my eyes to see Lilly still sleeping next to me. I felt like getting up to stretch, but that would be a huge risk of waking her up since she was this close to me. From what I could feel, her left paw was laying over my back. My first thought was her birthday that I just remembered last night. It was only two days away, now. I went over the plan in my head again to make sure there was nothing missing. I think I have it all thought through perfectly. Step one had to be the easiest—getting us to Glacier National Park. Seems easy enough. For now, the plan was to wait. Once Lilly was awake, I would set the _real _plan in to motion. I looked to Lilly. It did not look like she was going to wake soon. I could not blame her, it was still early in the morning. I am not even sure if the sun had risen yet. There was no way for me to check without walking outside, having to wake up Lilly in the process. Waking up Lilly was something I would never be able to do. I could never wake up a sleeping wolf. Unless we were about to be slaughtered, which I'm glad to say has never happened.

I laid there, looking at Lilly as she slept with her arm reaching over my back. There was something different about me at this moment. I can not explain it, but I felt more comfortable with Lilly at this moment than I had every other time. I looked at Lilly, trying to figure out what it was. Was it that she was a close friend that I could trust with anything? No. Was it having an arm around me, an experience I had not had for about half a year? No. What was it? This was going to kill me if I could not figure it out. I continued staring at her. The white fur she had showed no resemblance of her parents. The purple eyes I knew were hiding under her eye-lids was also a trait that neither of her parents had. How could Lilly get her appearances from Eve and Winston? She looked nothing like them, but I am very glad that she and Kate did have their parents' kind and caring personalities.

I felt Lilly's paw move from my back as she groaned a bit. Her eyes slowly got themselves to open. She blinked a few times, which I knew I did also. It was because things were blurry when you first wake up, so you blink a few times to clear your vision. Lilly looked at me and said, "You been awake long?"

I answered, "Not really. Just a few minutes. I did not want to wake you."

She looked at me as if she was confused. That was when she noticed her left paw was around my back. She pulled it back to herself, possibly feeling a bit embarrassed about it.

"Sorry..." She said, trying to look away from me.

I smiled and stood up. I began to stretch as I said, "It's okay. You ready to go?"

Lilly stretched as well before saying, "Yea, let's go meet your friend. I still want you to tell me who it is."

"I already told you, Lilly. It's a surprise."

I started my walk out of the cave, stepping on to the grass. There was some mud here and there. But overall, it was not so bad. Sure it was definitely wet, but at least it was not bad enough to splash us with mud with every step. I hated when that happened when I was a pup. My entire anatomy would get enclosed by the muck. Sure, I liked it as a pup. I think most pups liked playing in mud. But now that I have matured, I tend to stay away from mud when I can. I raised my head to see the trees towering over me and Lilly. Just the height of them were fascinating to me. Sometimes I wished that I could climb them just to see what the view was like from the top. Light was peaking through the leaves. Sun light. The sun definitely had risen. From inside the cave, it was difficult to tell that there was even light out here. I guessed that the two of us had slept through about half of the day, since the sun was practically in the center of the sky. Having nobody to wake you up was pretty great; I felt more rested than I ever had before.

I found mine and Lilly's paw prints from last night. A slight breeze flew by the two of us as I used the prints as a reference to tell which direction we had come from. We had come from the left of the cave entrance. So, if my memory serves me correctly, South is to the right. I turned in that direction and began to walk with Lilly at my side. To get from Jasper to Glacier was supposed to be a day long trip. And that was when you walked. Lilly and I had run for two hours last night. So, I guessed that we were at least half way there already. I smiled to myself. This was going to be a good trip. Visiting an old friend, reuniting Lilly with one of her old friends, and to top it all off, Lilly's birthday was in two days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Great Welcoming Committee**

"Can we stop a minute?" Lilly asked, "My paws are killing me."

I could not blame her. We had been walking for about five hours straight, and I can not tell if we are close to the territory of Glacier or not. There was no way to tell that from the position of the sun or anything like that. The truth was, my paws were starting to get a bit sore as well. Maybe we should stop and rest a while...

I answered Lilly with no regret, "Sure. I guess we've made enough progress to deserve a rest, right?"

Lilly nodded in agreement and walked over to a log, having something to lean back on. She immediately sat on the ground, crunching a leaf in the process. I took a quick look around us. Everything was so familiar. Of course it did; trees, rocks, leaves, boulders, and logs all looked the same. The sun light shone through the leaves of the trees. I could hear some birds singing a song, while the sound of a waterfall could be heard in the distance. Flowers of different types were spread around the area; some were blue, others were red. I even saw a couple that were a combination of red and white. The only thing that could have possibly made this any better was a river to get us a drink. My throat was getting dry, I could really use the water.

Lilly asked me from the log, "How close are we?"

"No way of knowing. I've never been to Glacier."

That was a true statement. I had never been there. Only my friend had, and he told me that even then, it was just a rest stop on their way home. Thoughts came to me; memories of the old friend. He was part of our little group. Me, Salty, Shakey, and Mooch were all best friends with him as pups. Although, we had all grown apart from him once he left for Alpha school. Now that I think about it, I think he was the first wolf I ever told of my crush on Kate. Of course, I told the others about it right after. That was such a long time ago... When we were still pups, actually. When Kate had to leave for Alpha school, I just continued my life as normal. My mind always went to Kate, and then the next thought was the law I hated so much. The _Alphas and Omegas can never howl together _law always got on my nerves. But I would forget about it when I ended up being chased by Lilly around the territory.

I lost my train of thought when I heard a yelp of pain coming from a distance behind me. I turned around, hoping it was not Lilly. I am glad to say that it was not. Though, from what I could see, she had heard the yelp as well. She had her front paws on the log, looking over it to see what was happening. I ran over to her and jumped on top of the log. From there, I could see three wolves. I did not know what the situation was or what is going on, but I did not care. Someone was hurt, and I do not like when others are in pain. I jumped from my log, hearing Lilly call after me. I ignored her as I sprinted toward the three wolves. I was running downhill, so I had some good speed.

As I made my way down the hill, I took in the scene to try and figure out what was happening. A red-and-white wolf was lying on their side, and looked as if they could only move their head. I am not sure if they were male or female, though. The second wolf I could tell was male. He had black-and-white fur, with the look of anger on his face. And the third was fully black with a look of worry and fear on their face. The black-and-white male was stalking toward the red wolf. The full-black one was standing behind the red-and-white who was still lying on the ground, looking at the angry male. I could tell from what I was seeing, who was the wolf I needed to attack.

Finally, I made it to the bottom of the hill and kept running. My target was the black-and-white wolf. As I got closer, I heard the full-black wolf's female voice yell, "Zak, don't do this!"

Zak... The name of the angry wolf that looked like he wanted to kill. The name of my target.

Zak yelled, "Don't tell me what to do you Southern scum!"

That made me even angrier. Who does this guy think he is, calling others scum? Does he even know them? They are not friends, are they? I hope not. If he was their friend, he was not a very good one. From the looks of it, he had attacked the red-and-white wolf. I saw him begin to run at the two, but he was hit in the side by me. I knocked him over, making us roll to his left. He flung me off him and I landed on my feet, ready to attack him or defend myself if needed. I did not move from my spot. I just said to him, "You don't need to hurt anybody. So, just leave these two alone, 'scum'."

I used his own word against him. If I was in a different situation, I probably would have smiled. But, this was serious. This guy looked murderous and I had to be ready for a fight now that I had attacked him like that. He did not attack me. All Zak did was say, "This has nothing to do with you stranger... Leave us be or face the consequences."

"You hurt that wolf, and you think i'm just going to let you continue? You're crazy."

He growled, "Leave. Now. Or. Else."

"Or else, what? If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get," I said. I spoke behind me to the black girl and said, "Take your friend and get out of here. This might get bloody."

Zak chuckled, "You're looking for a fight? Well, you're on! I should warn you, this is a fight you can not win stupid Omega!"

That caught me off guard. How did he know I was an Omega? I had to surprise him. Make a bluff so he would back off. I said, "You think I'm an Omega... You are all too wrong about me, Zak."

He growled, "How do you know my name?"

I smiled. I had surprised him. What to say now? I decided to be cool about it and said, "Lucky guess?"

He was getting angry now. I could sense it. And I could hear that his growling was getting louder.

I was surprised to hear Lilly's voice on my right side. She was standing right next to me. She said to me, "I'll fight with you."

"No, Lilly. You have to stay safe. If something happens to you, I don't know what I would do. You're all I have left."

"But Hu—"

"But, nothing! I want you to go with the others and be protected."

Lilly looked at me another second before nodding her head and turning around to walk to the others.

I turned my head back to Zak, and saw that he was running toward me. I prepared myself for a fight. He came closer and closer to me. I was about to bit in to his neck, until he ran straight past me. I instantly knew what was happening, he was going for Lilly. Before Zak got too far away, I bit into his hind leg and flung him back in front of me.

I said, "Leave them out of this!"

I had surprised him by being able to get a hold of him. My blood was boiling by this point. I think I was having an adrenaline rush right about now. I could tell that it was definitely giving me speed if I was able to catch his leg like that. But, would it give me strength to take him in a fight?

Zak stood up, glared at me, and sprinted at me. He jumped over my body, surprising me with a hard bite into my left hind leg. After he pulled away from that, I used it to kick him in the face. That bought me enough time to turn around and tackle him to the ground. I had him pinned to the ground as I growled in his face, "Don't do that again. Or you're dead."

After I said that, I bit him hard in the neck, making him yelp in pain. I began to taste blood on my tongue. I pulled my mouth off him, stood up, and told him, "You're lucky I'm letting you live. I'm no killer. But, if you come around here ever again, I'll see to it myself that you're taken care of. And by the way, you were right about me being an Omega. And guess what, I won the fight. If I can take you down, just imagine what an Alpha could have done to you."

Zak stood up, and walked away. I had let him survive.

I turned around and walked back to the black girl standing next to her red-and-white friend along with Lilly. I looked at the girl on the ground and said, "Is she alright?"

"She's unconscious... But alive." The black wolf looked up to me and said, "You should have killed him. What made you let him go?"

"Same thing I told him," I answered, "I'm no killer. Unlike him, I have an actual heart. What's his prob— AGH!"

I screamed in pain as I put pressure on my left-rear leg. I had forgotten about that. Zak had bitten me hard on that leg and it was hurting like crazy now. Lilly asked the girl, "Do you live close? We need to get these two somewhere, quick."

"Yea. It's not far of a walk. My name is Linda, by the way."

"I'm Humphrey."

"Lilly."

Linda put her red-and-white friend on her back to carry her. Lilly put herself under my right foreleg, helping me walk as we followed Linda. We walked downhill. It was not long before we approached a cave. Linda entered first with her friend on her back, followed by me and Lilly. A male voice called out, "Linda? Is that you?"

"Yea dad! But come quick, mom is hurt!" Linda rolled the red-and-white wolf off her back, in front of her.

Oh, that is not her friend. It is her mom. Hard to tell the difference, her mother looked so young. Or maybe she is just that good-looking. The next thing I knew, a black wolf with emerald-colored eyes walked up to Linda. He checked her over, making sure she was okay before turning to his wife. He checked her over before asking, "What happened?"

"Zak happened. Mom and I went for a drink at the river and we ran in to him. He attacked mom for no reason and the next thing I knew, these two ran in." Linda gestured to Lilly and I.

The black father had not even noticed us until Linda said we were here. He approached us and said, "You two are very brave to stand up to that monster."

Lilly said, "I did not help deal with him, it was all Humphrey here."

"Humphrey?" he sounded surprised, almost as if he recognized the name.

I nodded, "That's me. This is Lilly."

"Lilly..."

Lilly and I looked at each other in confusion. Did this guy know us or what? What's his deal? Linda walked up to her dad and asked, "Something wrong, father?"

"No. Just, give me a second."

He took a step closer to me and looked in my eyes. From this distance I noticed that his eyes were emerald-colored and he had a scar running across his right eye. Something seemed familiar about him but I could not think of what it was.

He smiled and finally spoke, "Humphrey and Lilly. Jasper Park, if i'm correct?"

"Yea... How do you know that?" I asked.

"You don't recognize me? How could you forget your best friend?"

Best friend? What is he— Wait a minute... Black fur, emerald eyes, scar on the right side of his face, red-and-white wife?

I had to confirm it was him, "Kovu?"

He nodded, "So you do remember me. Well, i'm sure you remember my wife too?"

Lilly helped me over to the unconscious female so I could take another look at her. I looked her body over. Red fur, with white running down her stomach, covering her paws, and a red tail that was tipped off with white. She definitely seemed familiar.

Lilly recognized her before I did. She looked to Kovu and asked, "Is this... Hailey?"

Kovu smiled and nodded.

Lilly and I had found Kovu, my best friend that left Jasper. We had also found Hailey, Kovu's wife. I turned my head to Kovu and joked, "This place has a great welcoming committee... Maybe you could take away the visitor's free leg bite thing though."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: **Northern Pack Message

Lilly and I were laying next to each other, on the opposite side of Kovu's and Hailey's den. My back leg is wrapped up in an enormous blade of grass to keep blood inside my body. I guessed that Zak managed to beak my leg, seeing as I couldn't move it an inch without it giving me pain. Hailey finally regained consciousness. Linda was lying next to her father. Lilly and I explained to Kovu and Hailey about the deaths of Kate and Garth. Linda did not seem so upset. Nobody could blame her for not being sad about it. After all, she was still a pup when their family left Jasper. That means she does not even remember Kate and Garth. Actually, we never even paid them a visit. So, Linda does not remember Lilly or I either. It's been about half an hour since Lilly and I arrived at Glacier Park. It was a nice place. Great wolves, nice hospitality... Oh who am I kidding, my leg was just bitten by that psychotic moron that calls himself Zak! Other than that jerk, this was a great place. But, I had to know what his deal was. I broke the silence throughout the den, "What's his deal?"

Everyone's head raised to look at me because a conversation had started. Each one of them contained a face of confusion, of course. Nobody knew what I was talking about, except for me, and I think Lilly understood what I meant too, but she did not say a word. None of the others spoke until I said Zak's name. That was when Kovu started to speak. He began to explain everything to Lilly and I...

* * *

_(Flashback/Kovu's POV)_

_I had been living in Glacier with our children for about two years now. Our pups were all grown up, they were the same size as us now. The two of us had three beautiful pups together. Two daughters, one son. Our youngest was our daughter, Linda. She had the same black fur that covered my body. Her icy blue eyes came from my wife, Hailey. Our other daughter was the middle child that we had named Aleu. She was practically a duplicate of her mother. The fur color, the eye color. I am not sure she even received any traits from me. It was hard to determine whether her kind and caring personality came from me or Hailey. Then... There's the oldest pup, our son. He was always a trouble maker as a pup, but as he grew older, he started picking serious fights with the Alphas of the Northern pack of Glacier. __Even though he got in to so much trouble, and he seemed to hate just about everybody in the pack, there was one wolf that could make him smile. His sister, Aleu. Whenever he saw her, he would act like the nice wolf he was as a pup. When she was not around, it was as if he transformed into a pure evil wolf with a thirst for blood. As for his appearance, h__is fur was a mixture of mine and Hailey's. Black fur covered his back and his tail. White covered his face, stomach, and paws as well as a bit of white at the ti__p of the tail. Sure, his fur color was a mix of mine and Hailey's, but his eye color came from me, emerald. _

_Me, Hailey, Linda, and Aleu were all lying in the den. We were enjoying the cool feel of the rock since today was one of the hottest days of the year. Our son was outside with some friends. We were not very fond of them, because they seemed to be trouble-makers as well. Actually, they seemed to be the cause of why he acted out and fought others. Sure, I was alright with them being wolves from the Northern pack, but the way they all acted was just wrong. Hailey and I think it is because he wants to show that he is the strongest of his friends. Be the "leader" of the group or whatever. _

_My ears lifted up when I heard growling coming from outside. I walked to the mouth of the cave and looked below to see my son and four of his buddies. They were all facing another wolf backing away. I heard the growling coming from my son. He sounded angry as he said, "I'm getting real sick of you Southern wolves! You're all so weak! Stupid, Southern scum!"_

_I yelled form where I was, "You say Southern wolves are weak? Well here's some bad news for you son, you **are** a Southern wolf!"_

_"Well, I wish I wasn't! I hate it here, I want to be a Northern wolf! Be with the stronger pack!"_

_"No! You must stay here, be proud of where you live!"_

_He turned from looking at me, back to the other Southern wolf. I heard my son say, "If you won't let me leave... Then, I'll have to get myself banished to the North like the rest of my friends..."_

_I ran down from the cave, and stopped in front of my son, blocking the way to the lone pup who was fearing for her life. I looked in to my son's eyes and what I saw made me angry. His eyes were filled with anger, and hatred. I am not sure why I said what I was about to say. I am not sure whether is what from my own anger that my son was causing me, or if I really just did not like my son anymore. I told him, "You want to go be with the Northern pack so badly, then go. But know this, if you ever want to come back... you can just forget about it. Nobody needs you here. Nobody **wants **you here anymore. So just go. Now."_

_My son grinned, proud that he could live with in Northern region of Glacier pack. __He turned around, and began walking. Aleu's voice came from above, from the den. She yelled, "I want to see you again someday!"_

_My son paused for a very brief moment at Aleu's voice. His head turned a bit and I saw his mouth move, as if he said something to himself. He turned his head back around and began walking again. That was the last time I saw him, the last look I saw in his eye was hatred for me and the rest of the Southern wolves._

* * *

_(Present Time/Humphrey's POV)_

As Kovu finished up explaining his story, I gave him a confused look. What was the meaning of that story? It had nothing to do with Zak at all. So, what was the point in it? Did I miss something? I looked to Lilly for an answer, she shrugged, confused just as I was. I thought about every word Kovu had said to us. Only one quote caught my attention. His son had said, _"Stupid, Southern scum!" _That was all it took to help me out. The word scum. Zak used the exact same word. Could it be?

I asked Kovu, "Zak was... your son?"

He and Hailey nodded. Linda said, "He's hated all of the wolves in the Southern pack since we moved here. Says we're all weak. He thinks he is stronger than us all and went to live with the Northern pack. He's been there for about a year now."

Lilly asked, "And what about your sister, Aleu?"

Hailey answered that one, "She left Glacier about a month ago."

Kovu explained, "Aleu was sick of the attacks that Zak has been making. She left out of fear that he would try attacking her. We couldn't talk her out of leaving."

"But she did say that she wants to see Zak again someday, right?" I asked.

Linda nodded and said, "Yea. Those two were very close. If they weren't related, I'm sure they would at least be great friends."

A voice called from outside, "Message from the Northern pack!"

Me and the others in the den all exchanged glances at each other before getting up. Kovu and his wife exited the cave first, followed by Linda. Lilly stayed laying down as I managed to make my way over to Kovu and Hailey. It was a struggle just getting there because of my broken leg. We looked down from the cave's mini-cliff at the grassy area to see a full-grown female wolf with gold fur running by. I remembered that certain wolves were chosen in each territory to be messengers between all four of the packs. This seemed to be one of the chosen few. The speed she was running at proved to me that she was. She could have been an Alpha. Then again, Alphas need strength. Maybe she was not strong enough to take down a caribou like Kate was.

Anyways... This girl ran past the cave we were standing by and stopped at the next cave over, which I guessed was the Alpha den. I watched as three wolves walked out of the cave to meet the girl. One was a grey wolf, he looked sort of like Winston from this distance. Standing next to him was a female that I guessed was his wife, who had red-and-white fur. Behind the two of them, was the third wolf who was a bit smaller than the other two. The messenger wolf said something to them that I could not hear. The two Alphas looked at each other for a moment, and I could see some confusion on their faces. They nodded to the messenger before she ran away. The male turned to his daughter, or friend, I can not be sure which one. Anyways, he turned to her and said something. The girl nodded and ran toward us. She stopped at the cave and said, "Southern pack meeting."

Kovu asked, "What time?"

She answered, "Today before the Alphas leave for the caribou hunt. My father will howl later to signal when we need to leave."

"What's the meeting about?" Hailey asked.

The girl answered, "I don't know. They would not tell me, but we will find out later today."

"Alright, thanks for letting us know," Kovu said.

The girl nodded with a smile before running off to the left of the cave. I guessed she was letting everybody else know about the pack meeting that was to take place later today. Only one question kept coming to my mind; What is the pack meeting about? The head Alphas just got a message and now there is a pack meeting scheduled? What could this all mean?

I looked to Kovu for an answered. All he did was shrug. Of course he didn't know, I don't know why I thought he would.

I made my way back to Lilly and laid down next to her on her left side. She asked, "What was that about?"

I answered, "The head Alphas got a message from the Northern pack and want to hold a Southern pack meeting later today."

"For what?"

"We asked, but she knows just as much as we do."

Kovu said, "Guess all we should do now is wait for the meeting..."


	6. Chapter 6

(Author's Note) Before I start this, I'd just like to say thanks to all the readers supporting my stories. The reviews that I receive are what keeps me writing. So, thanks to those of you that leave positive reviews. I am glad to say that I have never received a negative review and hope that I never will. Without further ado, here's Chapter Six...

**Chapter Six: Two Options**

_I was running through a forest. I have no idea why I am running, but something was telling me not to stop; so I continued with my running. And for once in a long while, Lilly was not with me. I guess that was why I was feeling worried at this moment. If Lilly was not around me, where was she? If something had happened to Lilly, I do not know how I could live with myself... If something happened to her, I would be breaking a promise to Kate. That was the one thing I would never do. _

_I could hear twigs snapping, along with my fast breathing, with every step that I took. Those two sounds were not the only things I heard. As I ran, I heard growling. Then, I heard Lilly's voice scream, "Help!"_

_I yelled for Lilly to hold on. My body was able to gather energy to start sprinting even faster. The next thing I heard made me more worried than before. I heard Lilly say, "Please, Zak! No!"_

_That could not be a good thing. Earlier, I had gotten in to a fight with Zak. And now, Lilly was with him without me around. And she sounded scared... Next thing I heard was the growling get louder, followed by a scream, and then painful-sounding whimpers. Not good... I knew for sure that it could not be Zak who was whimpering, when Lilly was the one that sounded scared. I wished I could run even faster. Faster would be good. I am glad to say, that did not matter because I finally approached the scene, to find the last thing I wanted to see. There, right in front of me, was Lilly. She was lying on her side on the ground. Covered with blood. Eyes closed. Not moving. A pool of blood surrounded her. Coming from the puddle was a trail. My eyes followed the trail, to see Zak. He was standing there, smiling. Looking at me. Blood was around his mouth. I stood where I was for I do not know how long. __Lilly was innocent of everything in her whole life. She did not deserve to die so young, let alone be murdered. _

_He laughed. I was experiencing multiple emotions right now. I was sad over Lilly's death. I also felt guilty about it. I had promised Kate I would keep her sister safe. I had somehow let Lilly out of my sights, and could not reach her in time to save her life. I would have grieved over the death. But, the last emotion was the main one that overpowered the others. It was hate... anger... I was angry at Zak. Lilly was the only wolf I had left in my life, and he killed her! My blood was boiling. I felt myself getting angrier with each passing second. I lifted my right paw up to my face and looked at it. I watched as I let my claws slide out. I let them slide back in to my paws before forming a fist and slamming in to the ground. I asked myself, "Why her? Why couldn't it be me? WHY HER?"_

_To tell the truth, I much rather me be killed than Lilly. If it would keep Lilly alive, then I would sacrifice my life for hers. I rose my head back up to look at Zak, still smiling at me. I was getting really sick of this guy. How could anybody be such a cold-hearted killer, and smile with the blood on their mouth? I took a step toward him, and stopped when a bright flash of light appeared behind him. He took a step back, his smile growing a bit as the light engulfed his body. He turned into a black silhouette. After that, he disappeared. I expected the light to disappear, but it did not. After about ten seconds, another silhouette arrived. They stepped forward, to reveal Kate. That was when I figured out that this was another dream. Well, more like nightmare since this was not pleasant. I turned around to face Lilly's body again. Kate stepped forward, stopping when she approached my left side. _

_She asked, "Would you really sacrifice your own life to save her?"_

_I nodded and said, "Of course I would."_

_I looked to Kate. Before I could say anything else, she asked, "You're really intent on keeping your promise, aren't you?"_

_"Well, yea. It was a promise to you... I definitely can't break it."_

_Kate smiled at that and said, "Garth and I have been watching over the two of you. I am glad to see that you aren't protecting only Lilly. You protected Hailey and Linda as well."_

_I smiled at that._

_"Even though Garth and I are gone, I am glad to see that you have not changed much."_

_Before I could respond to her statement, Kate took a few steps back, letting the white light engulf her body and turning her into a black silhouette. Eventually, she disappeared. __Followed by the fading of the light. Lilly's voice spoke to me, "Wake up, Humphrey..."_

* * *

My eyes slowly opened. My vision being blurry, I blinked a few times. Once my vision had cleared, I turned my head to see Lilly. She was alive. I thought back to remember where I was. I was in Kovu and Hailey's cave. I looked around, finding that they were gone. We had been waiting for the howl to signal the Southern pack meeting. I must have dozed off. I looked to Lilly and asked, "What is it?"

Lilly opened her mouth to answer, but got interrupted by a howl. She closed her mouth and gestured her head toward the opening of the cave as she said, "The Southern pack meeting is starting. Kovu, Hailey, and Linda already left while I woke you up."

I stood up, only to give myself a painful reminder that my back-left leg had been broken by Zak. Lilly quickly put herself under my front leg, catching me from falling. I gave her a thanks before we started our way out. The two of us walked outside the cave and looked around to see where everybody was heading. The two of us had no idea where this pack had their meetings, so we had to look at the traffic flow to figure it out. We turned left and followed the crowd along a pathway, leading down to the grass. That was where I saw a large group of wolves all gathering in front of a boulder. They all seemed to be deep within conversation; probably about what the meeting was about. I looked at the boulder to where three other wolves were standing. I recognized the three standing on the large boulder. They were the two Head-alphas and their daughter that I had seen earlier that day. The three of them were waiting for everybody to gather.

Lilly and I continued walking; still looking for Kovu and Hailey. I was concentrating mostly on the faces of the black wolves to find Kovu. If I could find him, I would also find Hailey and Linda. They were nowhere to be found... Where could they be? That was when I saw them. Kovu stood on his hind legs and waved his paw at me, yelling for me and Lilly to go to him. I gave Lilly a nudge and gestured to where Kovu was at so she knew where to go. She helped me make our way toward him. We walked past some other wolves of all fur colors and sizes. We dodged around one last wolf before we finally made it to Kovu. Next to him were Hailey and Linda, talking to each other; probably about what all the others in the pack were talking about, the meeting. Lilly made sure I was okay before taking herself out from under my front paw. Kovu asked, "What do you think this is about?"

I said, "I have no idea."

I looked to Lilly for an answer and she just shrugged. I expected no more than that. Lilly was not much of a talker anyways. Kovu, Hailey, Linda, Lilly, and I waited a couple minutes. Once everybody noticed that the whole pack had gotten outside, all wolves of the Southern pack went silent. The head Alpha-male began the meeting with, "I bet you are all wondering why we are having a pack meeting."

Well, of course we were. What kind of start was that?

He continued, "Well, it's because of a message we have received from the pack of the North. They recently sent a messenger wolf with this message. They want to unite the packs."

The large group of wolves whispered to one another; possibly making sure they heard him right. There were a few comments yelled by random wolves like: "No way!" "They treat us like we're just trash!" "Why would they want to unite with us?"

The alpha-female stepped up, making the group go silent. She said, "They have told us that if we do not unite the packs, they will wage war against us. Do we really want that?"

The male spoke again, "That is what they have offered us. We have two choices; Marriage, or war. We all know that war is never a good thing, but who do we have to offer for a marriage?"

There was a moment of silence.

After about a minute of waiting, a female voice finally spoke from the crowd with the sound of nervousness, "I'll do it."

A pathway formed down the middle of the crowd as a female wolf with grey fur stepped forward. She walked from the back of the crowd up to the head-alphas. The alpha male asked, "Are you sure?"

The girl nodded and turned around before saying, "If it means protecting this pack from having to fight a war, then I would gladly be married to anybody they have chosen."

"Very well..." the alpha-male said. He lifted his head back up to speak to the crowd, "Two days, when the sun is highest in the sky, the two packs; North and South, will be united by marriage."

The crowed cheered loudly with, "Woohoo!" and "All right!"

After a few minutes, the pack finally went quiet before the head-alpha female announced, "You are all free to go."

The three members of the head-alpha family turned and walked away. I turned my head to Kovu and said, "Do you really think that the Northern pack would have began a war with the Southern pack if there was no marriage?"

"Depends on who is in charge over there. It sounded like it was pretty serious though, so I would guess that they would."

I looked back over to where the grey-furred girl was to see her surrounded by other wolves; probably telling her that she was brave, or thanking her for stepping up and getting married to a stranger. She looked at me with a smile on her face, proud of what she was doing. When she saw me, though, her smile went away. She stared at me and looked as if she was trying to figure out who I was. I did not blame her, Lilly and I had just gotten here so I did not expect others to wonder who we were. I turned my head to Kovu, Hailey, and Linda, who were already leaving to go back home. I looked to Lilly and said, "Let's go."

Lilly put herself under my paw again for support because of my broken leg. The two of us went the same way we had come, only we were going the other way. We walked from the soft green grass over to pathway with a sloped incline. The two of us made our way up that slope, making sure not to bump in to any wolves. When we did, we both apologized and they would turn back to whatever they were doing. I looked to the sun to see that it was beginning to set. I had slept the day away. After a short time, Lilly and I finally made it to back to the cave. Kovu, Hailey, and Linda were all lying down for some sleep. I told Lilly I was going to stay outside for a bit to watch the sunset. I had expected her to go inside for some rest since we had traveled a lot today. I was wrong. Lilly said she was going to watch with me. I smiled, happy that I would not be alone for a bit.

Lilly and I laid down, with her on my left, outside Kovu and Hailey's cave, and watched the sun set. It cast a beautiful mixture of a red and orange glow over Glacier Park. I looked over to my left at Lilly to see her eyes closed with a smile on her face. I smiled that she was not the upset wolf that she was back in Jasper. Seeing your old friend will tend to do that to you. I asked, "You like watching sun sets?"

She opened her eyes, looking up at the sky. Without looking at me, she said, "Yea. Garth and I would watch them every night, together. Now, watching the sun set again... It brings back memories... Good ones."

I smiled that Lilly was happy now. I told her, "I know what you mean. Kate and I would do the same thing."

The two of us said nothing more to each other. We just stayed there, watching the sun do its natural thing. Lilly and I had laid there for I don't know how long before another cold breeze flew by us. I noticed Lilly shiver a bit. I broke the silence, "You cold?"

She nodded her head. I suggested, "Let's go inside and get some sleep."

"Alright."

I lifted my paw and put it around her as I got up. I hate having a broken leg. Lilly helped me in to the cave, and we chose a spot to sleep. I laid down, and Lilly laid down next to me for warmth. To tell the truth, I was actually growing more fond of Lilly. There was just something about her that I liked.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: **Too Close

_(The Next Morning)_

I awoke to find Lilly still next to me. Only, she was pressed against me, closer than when we had fallen asleep last night. I smiled to myself at how peaceful Lilly looked when she slept. She was just about as adorable as Kate was. I looked around the cave to find Kovu, Hailey, and Linda all pressed together as well. I looked back at Lilly one more time before carefully standing up. I was being as quiet as I could about it, which was hard to do when you put pressure on an injured leg. It did not hurt as much as it did yesterday. I guessed that staying off of it for so long was really helping. The sun had already risen, so it was pretty bright outside. I squinted my eyes because they were still a bit sensitive since I just woke up. I waited a minute to let them adjust. Once they had, I saw a great sight.

A great amount of wolves were all walking around with their families on the green grass below. Out on the horizon was the blue sky meeting the top of the mountains off in the distance. To the right were some trees in the distance that were blocking my sight from whatever was beyond. I looked above the trees to see the top of a cliff with a waterfall. My tongue ran over my mouth, I was getting thirsty and I could really use a drink from wherever that water was falling to. Should I tell Lilly where I was going to go? Easy answer... I turned around and walked to Lilly. I put my paw on her side and gently shook her whispering, "Lilly... Lilly, wake up."

She groaned and opened her eyes a little. Her head raised to look at me with tired eyes. She sat up, yawned, and asked, "What is it?"

I said, "I'm going to find some water, you want to come with me?"

Her answer, "Sure, I could use a drink."

She looked at my back leg and said, "I see your leg is better."

I looked back at it for a second and looked back at Lilly before saying, "It's not perfect. Still hurts a little, but it's good enough to walk on now."

"That's good. At least it isn't getting worse, right?"

I smiled at the joke. At least, I think it was a joke. It was hard to tell when Lilly was trying to be funny. I turned around and began walking back to the cave entrance. I heard Lilly's footsteps come up from behind me, slowing down once she got to my side. The two of us walked in silence. Lilly had no idea where we were going, so she was just following my lead. I knew that with my injured leg, we were going pretty slow so it was definitely going to take a long time to get to our destination. We left the cave and turned to the right. I led us to a path, leading us up a hill. I guessed that this path would lead us to the waterfall because that is the direction it was going. Apparently, the Southern pack had walked to the waterfall so much that it caused the grass to wear down and eventually created this path.

We took the path up the hill. It wound around some trees and under a log that formed a bridge across two boulders. Eventually, we came to the top of a hill. I stopped in my tracks and looked to see the path going downhill. I hate walking downhill. With my broken leg, it would take us forever to go downhill. I looked to my right side over at Lilly. She knew that it would take forever to go downhill with an injured leg. Trying to keep your balance was hard enough when going down, but to add an injured leg in to the equation made it even tougher. She asked, "Now what?"

I looked around, hoping there was a way we could go down faster. That was when I remembered something. Something that I had done so many times before. But would Lilly be up for it? She had never tried it before. I walked over to a tree and scratched out a large rectangle shape. Lilly asked, "What are you doing?"

"I've got a way for us to get down faster," I looked to Lilly, "If you are up for it."

"Of course I am, what is it?"

"You'll see."

I went back to work on the tree bark. I smoothed out the edges, and smoothed the inside so it would be comfortable. When I was finished, I looked at the work. It was perfect. I picked up the board with my mouth and carried it over to where the hill began to slope down. I set it down, and climbed on. I sat in the back. I looked back at Lilly and told her to get on in front of me. She knew what I was doing. We were going to slide down the hill on this log-sled. I had done this all the time back in Jasper with Salty, Shakey, and Mooch. I knew what I was doing. But, was Lilly ready for this? This was her first time ever at log-sledding. She said she was up for it; Did she still feel that way after knowing what I had planned? Lilly seemed hesitant at first, until I reached my paw out for her and said, "Don't worry, i'm here with you. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Lilly smiled at that. She took my paw, walked around to the front of the log, and carefully climbed on in front of me. I had her sit in front of me so she would not fly off if she lost her grip. Lilly scooted back until her back was pressed against me. I had my right paw on the ground, keeping us from moving. I asked Lilly if she was ready. She grabbed the two sides of the log with both paws and spoke with a worried voice as she asked, "Is this safe?"

I said, "Of course it is. I've done this all the time back in Jasper. Plus, you're with me. I'm keeping you safe, remember?"

She said, "Okay... Then, i'm ready."

I noticed her paws grip the log even tighter. I told her, "Just do what I say and we'll be okay, alright?"

She nodded and said, "Let's just do this."

I pushed back with both of my paws, moving us forward and beginning Lilly's first log-sledding hill slide. We slid down the hill, gathering speed every second. The wind was pushing back our fur, giving us a wonderful breeze that I really enjoyed. I could not tell if Lilly's screaming was from fear or excitement. But, it made me laugh. I noticed a tree coming up at us, so I yelled to Lilly to lean right. We both did, making the log move to the side and dodging around the tree. Then, we both leaned back to the left to get back to the center of the course. This was the first time I had log-sledded down a different hill. I had gotten so used to the old hill back in Jasper. I had no idea what to expect here in Glacier. But, wow... This hill was great. It was even more fun that it was in Jasper. I did not know if that was because I had not done this in a long time, or because this was a different course, but it was still fun.

As we continued sliding down, we dodged around trees and had to duck under log-bridges as we squeezed between boulders. I was having the time of my life. I can not say the same for Lilly because I still could not tell if she was scared for her life or not. She probably was since this was the first time she had done this, but I bet that once we were done, she was going to be laughing at how fun it was. I saw a sloped boulder coming up, so I leaned forward and told Lilly, "You better hold on tight."

She screamed, "What for?"

I ignored her as I lined us up perfectly with the boulder, sliding toward it. Lilly realized what I was doing. I expected she was going to kill me for this, but I was going to do it anyway because it was fun. Seeing how scared Lilly looked, I put my right paw in front of her and told her, "Hold my paw if you need to."

She did not hesitate at grabbing my wrist, almost breaking the bones as she squeezed it as tight as she could. That was when I figured out she had been screaming out of fear. I was okay with her holding my paw that tight, it was nothing compared to what my back leg felt like yesterday. That hurt like crazy. The two of us continued toward the sloped boulder. Once we finally hit it, I pounded my left paw on the back of the sled. That caused the sled to fly jump up in the air, taking us along with it. I felt the urge to do a three-sixty, but I did not think Lilly would like that at all. Specially on her first time at log-sledding. I noticed that she closed her eyes, waiting until we were back on the ground. As we were in the air, I looked down below to see where the water was at. It was not that far. I was pumped full of adrenaline at this moment. I was excited about everything going on around us. That stopped when I saw what else was down below. Fear instantly came in to my body. Down below, I saw what Lilly did not. A trench.

And we were right above it. Not. Good. At. All.

Gravity took over, and the sled started falling back to the ground. With the trench directly under us. I was closer to the center of it. I figured Lilly would be able to land on the side and be safe, but then I would be too heavy for her to pull back up. So, I spun the sled completely around to where I would land on the side of the trench. I knew that since Lilly was holding my paw, I would be ready to pull her back up if she went over. I did not care if this sled would make it over or not. I was only worried about Lilly. I was thinking of her before myself. I screamed to Lilly, "Hold on as tight as you can!"

She heard the fear in my voice. Lilly did not expect to hear fear from me after the laughing I had done earlier. Which was why she opened her eyes and looked down out of curiosity. I felt my wrist get squeezed even harder. She had seen us falling to the trench. I squeezed my paw around her wrist as hard as I could. We were both holding on to each other now. All I could do now was hope that the impact would not make us lose our grip and make Lilly fall to her death.

We both closed our eyes, waiting for the log to hit ground. The two of us had been in the air for what felt like an eternity. That was logically impossible so I knew it had really only been a few seconds before we finally hit ground. As I had hoped, I landed on the ground. I yelped as the pain from the impact of a fall from that height coursed through my stomach. I knew there were going to be bruises. I felt sorry for my back leg, which was already injured before. Also as I expected, Lilly went over the side of the trench. With the two of us holding each others' paws, she did not fall. But, she was hanging just over the edge, dangling from my paw. All was going as I had planned in those few seconds of being in the air. I yelled to Lilly, "Don't let go! Just hold on!"

"I won't argue with that!" Lilly screamed back to me.

At that moment, I had no care if my back leg that was already injured was going to give me immense pain. I was going to do all I could to save Lilly's life. I put as much pressure as I needed in my back legs to push forward so I could move back. I did not budge. I pulled my right paw, but it did not move. I tried as hard as I could to pull Lilly up. I was failing. I pulled with as much strength as I could, but I overestimated my own power. I was not strong enough to pull Lilly up. She was going to fall to her death because of me. This was all my fault. I was the one that chose to log-sled down the hill. I was the one that chose to have us jump up that boulder in to the air. Lilly's death would be entirely my fault and I knew it. I had failed at keeping my promise to Kate.

A tear formed in my eye as I thought about all of this. I looked over the edge at Lilly and saw fear in her eyes. I told her, "I'm not strong enough..."

The fear showing on her face seemed to increase. Of course, this was not where it was going to end. I was going to hold on as long as I possibly could. Which was difficult with the next thing that happened. I felt her wrist slide in my paw at least an inch. She was going to slip from my grasp. This was going to be the end. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my tail. I looked back to see what it was a grey wolf, holding on to my tail with their teeth. With my tail in her mouth, she grumbled, "-ull!"

She started pulling on my tail, as hard as she could. I pulled my self backwards. I was able to move now. With the combined strength of me and this grey wolf, we were able to move backwards. Lilly and I held each other's paws tighter as I began to push back, and pull Lilly up. With great struggle, I pulled with all of my strength, until Lilly finally reached the edge of the trench. I grabbed her other paw which helped even more in pulling her up. I must have pulled too hard because once she was finally up enough, she tumbled into me, sending us backward. I noticed the grey wolf step sideways to avoid getting hit. Lilly and I continued tumbling backwards. When we finally stopped, I was lying on the ground, with Lilly on top of me. It took about ten seconds for me to realize something. Our noses were touching. The wind from tumbling back had pushed Lilly's head fur back from her left eye. At that moment, I could see Lilly's purple-colored eyes. Both of them. I could see why Garth liked to look at them. They were beautiful...

"Ahem."

I broke my gaze from Lilly's eyes over to the grey wolf. She had a smile on when she asked, "Would you two like to have some privacy?"

Lilly and I looked back at each other, noticing she was still on top of me. She quickly got off of me and I got back to my feet. That was a definite awkward moment for us both. I figured Lilly's cheeks went red underneath her fur. I am positive that mine had. We tried not to make eye contact with each other. She looked at me and said, "No more log-sledding for me. You got that?"

I smiled at that. I could tell she was trying to ease the tension after having a near death experience. I probably would have said the same thing.

I looked to the grey furred girl. I noticed her fur was not completely grey as I had thought at first. The grey only covered her back, tail, and legs. There was white on her stomach, connecting to the white on her face that surrounded her blue eyes. She definitely looked familiar, but I could not quite place it. Lilly did though; she said, "You're the girl that is getting married tomorrow, right?"

"Yep. That's me."

That was why she looked familiar. She was the grey wolf that I had seen yesterday. She stepped forward to give herself up for marriage with a wolf from the Northern pack. Her wedding was tomorrow. I broke the silence, "Say, Lilly and I were going to get a drink. Would you show us how to get there?"

She answered, "Sure. I could use a drink as well."

Lilly and I looked at each other a moment and quickly looked away from each other out of embarrassment from what had just happened a minute ago. We followed the grey wolf to the waterfall. That was when I noticed the sound of the waterfall. It was pretty loud like it was nearby. As the three of us walked to the waterfall, there was complete silence aside from the water. It was only a short walk before we finally reached the beautiful location of where the waterfall was going. The waterfall was pouring into a large circular pool that was filled with clear water that allowed you to see all the way to the bottom. Surrounding the pool of water were, of course, trees. Spread through out the area were flowers of all types and colors. It was the most beautiful area I had ever seen. Lilly and I stood where we were, taking in the beautiful area. The grey-and-white colored girl did not stop walking. She went up to the pool of water and lowered her head for a drink.

Lilly went over to the water next, and I followed after her. I lowered my head in to the water and gulped it in like crazy. It was exactly what I needed, specially after what had just happened a few moments ago. The water gave me back the energy I had lost. Plus, it just felt great running down my throat. It really cooled me down. I brought my head back up after about five large gulps of water to see both girls had finished drinking already. I decided to start a conversation by asking the grey girl a question, "How did you know we needed help?"

"Actually, I didn't. I was looking for you anyways."

That surprised me. I asked her, "Why were you looking for me?"

"I saw you yesterday after the meeting. You look like somebody I know. I was going to ask who you were yesterday, but you both left before I could come ask you. Since it was getting late, I was going to ask this morning. So I came looking for you."

I said, "Oh. Right, we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Humphrey."

I looked to Lilly as she introduced herself. Then I added, "We're from Jasper Park."

"Humphrey... From Jasper..." She mumbled before speaking up, "It is you!"

She jumped at me, knocking us both back. I yelled in surprise as we both tumbled backwards. When we stopped rolling back, I ended up on the bottom. She was on top of me, wagging her tail left and right. I looked from the girl over to Lilly, wondering if we had met this girl before. Lilly shrugged before I looked back to the girl. I asked, "Do I know you?"

The girl said, "Don't act stupid, Humphrey. I know you wouldn't forget your own sister!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Sudden Realization**

"Don't act stupid, Humphrey. I know you wouldn't possibly forget your own sister!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I was surprised that this girl said she was my sister. She got off of me, and backed up a few steps. I got back to my feet and took a step toward her. I looked her over. She definitely seemed familiar, which made me have to ask her. I asked, "Chloe?"

She nodded, a smile forming on her face. I smiled at her. It might be possible that a small tear escaped my eye, unexpectedly. I did not care; I was just glad that I had found my sister. I looked over to Lilly and motioned for her to come over. She did and I said, "Lilly, I'd like you to meet my sister, Chloe. Chloe, this is Lilly."

My sister said, "Aw how cute, Humphrey, you finally got a girlfriend! It's about time."

What the— did she really say that Lilly was my girlfriend? My cheeks had probably turned red, but I was glad they were hidden by my fur. I said, "Lilly isn't my girlfriend. She is my ex-girlfriend's sister. We're just friends, okay, Chloe?"

She put her paw up and said, "Okay, okay. I was just teasing, that's all."

I smiled to her. My sister had not changed one bit. I was about to say something else before interrupted me, "Wait, you just said 'EX-girlfriend'..."

"Yea... Kate is—_was_ my girlfriend. Until the caribou hunting accident..."

I looked back at Lilly to make sure she was not going to cry. She no longer had a smile on her face, but she was doing okay. I think Lilly had cried out all the tears she had for Kate and Garth. That, or she just did not get that sad about it anymore. She was probably use to them being gone by now. I looked back to my sister in time for her to say, "Oh.. I- I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's okay Chloe. It happened about five months ago; we've gotten used to their passings."

There was a ten second moment of silence for Kate and Garth before Chloe spoke the silence, "I suppose you don't feel like telling me what happened?"

I looked at Lilly when I noticed she had walked up to my right side. I looked back at Chloe and said, "Let's get back to your place. We can catch up on everything there."

Lilly asked me, "What about Kovu and Hailey? They didn't even know we came for water. They're probably worried already."

"We can stop by their place on the way to let them know what's going on."

I turned my head back to Chloe, and saw that she had already began walking away. Lilly and I started to follow her. She walked over to a log, and crossed over the trench that Lilly had almost fallen in to. I told Lilly to go first so I could make sure she got across safely. She was hesitant at doing so because of my leg, but I said I would be fine. We got across safely and continued walking. It took about twenty minutes before I realized that we were walking on the worn-down pathway. As much as I hated walking downhill, I hated going up even more. It took even more energy than going down. After what had happened earlier, I knew I would never log-sled down a hill again without checking for a trench or cliff at the bottom.

Once Chloe, Lilly, and I reached the top of the hill, we all took in the scene of the Southern pack territory down below. Lilly and I did not even notice this view from here because we were focused on getting water. Actually, Lilly was focused on the water. I was focusing on making the log-sled. The view of the Southern pack territory was amazing from up here. I am not exaggerating either. From here, you could see: Mountains in the distance, birds flying across the sky, and I think I could even see some little pups getting tackled by their parents. Lilly, Chloe, and I continued walking. I smiled at the sight of that last part. I have always liked seeing parents play with their pups. Kate even told me once that I would, one day, be a great father to beautiful pups.

"You okay, Humphrey?"

I always thought about what it would be like to be a father. Now that Kate is gone, it looks like I will have to wait a while longer to find the answer. Which brings my thoughts back to a question that I have asked myself for a couple days now: Will I ever be able to love again? I have asked myself that question more times than I can count ever since Kate died. It is a good question. Is it possible for me to love again? I mean, Kate was the only girl I had ever loved in my entire life; After losing her, how could I possibly move on to another wolf?

"Hello?"

I snapped out of my train of thought to see Lilly's paw waving in front of my face. Once she realized I was not zoned out anymore, she lowered her paw and made me realize we were standing face-to-face. Her purple eyes were looking at me with a bit of worry. I asked, "What is it? Are we at Chloe's place already?"

Lilly answered, "I just asked if you were okay and you didn't answer."

I responded, "Y-yea. I'm fine, why?"

She hesitated for a second before answering, "You just looked a little upset about something. Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just... thinking."

Lilly asked, "About what?"

I hesitated a moment, debating on whether I should answer or not. I figured it was best not to lie to Lilly, so I answered, "Kate."

I closed my eyes, lowering my head to the hard, rocky ground. A short moment passed before I sensed Lilly take a step closer to me. Then I felt an arm go around me. I opened my eyes to see Lilly sitting in front of me, with her right paw around my shoulder. I hesitated a second before putting my right paw around her shoulder as well. I knew why she was hugging me. At least, I think I know why. She might have needed a hug after being reminded of her sister that had died. Kate and Garth's deaths had affected not just me. Sure, I was really sad about Kate's death. How could I not be? I was going to ask her to be my wife. But, I was only her boyfriend. I can't even begin to imagine how Lilly must feel, being her sister and all. When Lilly brought her paw back down, she took a step back and sat down before I asked if she was okay. She just nodded her head.

That was when I realized that Chloe was not with us. I asked Lilly, "Where's Chloe?"

"Oh, she's in the cave with Kovu, Hailey, and Linda. I told her to go ahead in while I made sure you were all right."

I smiled at her, glad that she cared so much. That was one of the things I liked about her. She was so caring. It is a good quality for wolves to have. Lilly and I walked together into the cave to see Chloe talking to Kovu and Hailey. The two of us walked over to Linda, who was laying down alone. Lilly and I sat on each side of Linda. I took her right, Lilly took her left. I asked, "You okay?"

"Yea. I just wish that Zak would go back to his old self. The nice boy he used to be, you know?"

I joked, "Yea. I just wish he would have done that _before_ he bit my leg."

Nobody laughed at the joke, although I noticed Lilly smile for a second before she asked, "It would be nice if Aleu came back to Glacier too, wouldn't it?"

Linda said, "Of course it would."

Lilly asked, "What was she like?"

She said, "Aleu was the best sister I could have ever asked for. I just hope she comes home some day."

We took a short moment of silence. I was able to hear Kovu, Hailey, and Chloe talking. They were talking about the wedding, in which my sister was going to be the bride. I smiled, happy that I was going to be able to witness my own sister's wedding. It just surprises me that she would not mind being married to somebody that she did not know. I looked at my back leg after feeling something brush against it. I noticed that it was just Lilly's tail gliding over it. A bit of pain went through my leg as I moved it a little. I wanted to get this blade of grass off just to look at the wound and see how bad it was. Just out of curiosity. I wanted to know what it looked like since I had never been bitten before. I figured that the bleeding must have stopped after a whole night of having it this blade of grass on.

I reached at my leg but was met with a sting that made me stop. I sat up so my foot was right next to my front paws. It was easier to reach without pain. I looked at my right paw and let a claw slide out from it. I lowered it to the blade of grass and cut it, careful not to scratch the wound since I knew that would hurt. After cutting a little line through the blade of grass, I tugged at it before Lilly asked me, "What are you doing?"

I said I was taking off the bandage. With a worried tone in her voice, she said, "You probably shouldn't do that."

"I'll be fine, Lilly. Don't worry."

"Okay..."

I tugged at it a bit harder, finally pulling it off and letting me see the wound. There were four tiny holes. Two on one side, two on the other. The fur in that area was red. I assumed it was my blood. It could not be more obvious than that. The blood made it look more painful than it really was. I noticed Lilly was looking at it too. She winced at how painful it looked. She looked at me and asked, "Does it hurt?"

I answered, "Not as much as it did yesterday."

She gently touched the wound with her paw. I forced myself to keep from wincing so she would not think it was that bad. It didn't even matter though because when her paw made contact with the wound, my leg involuntarily moved an inch away from her. Lilly took that as a sign that it hurt and pulled her paw away. I looked from my paw to her, immediately making eye contact with her. That was the third time today that I was met with her purple eye. Her left eye was covered by the fur that was hanging down in front of her. Lilly used her left paw to push the fur back behind her ear. I was now seeing both eyes.

Looking in to Lilly's eyes, I involuntarily said, "Wow..."

Lilly asked, "What?"

I lowered my head, looking away as I said, "N-nothing..."

Before she could say anything else, I stood up and said, "I'll be back soon."

She asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to take a walk."

"Want me to come with you?"

I told her, "No. I just need some time alone... to think about something."

I turned back to the exit and began to walk out, leaving Lilly with Kovu, Hailey, Linda, and my sister, Chloe. I turned to the right, and walked past the cave of the head Alphas. I continued on, walking past the location where Zak bit my leg. I still kept walking, going in to the forest. I was not walking just to take in the scenery. I had to get away from everybody so I could think. Think about something that I was not sure about. My entire life, I had only one girl to love. We finally got together. Now that she is dead, I am all alone. I have often asked myself, one simple question that you already know of; Can I ever love again? Ever since Kate died, I was not sure. Kate's death upset me so much, that I had to get out of Jasper Park. I invited Lilly to come with me. That way, I could protect her. She agreed, knowing that leaving Jasper could help us cope with the deaths of Kate and Garth.

Normally, the head Alphas would not allow wolves to leave Jasper unless they were cold-blooded killers. Eve and Winston allowed the two of us to leave because they knew what we are going through. They probably would have left as well if they did not have the responsibility of keeping the pack in order. I was glad that they allowed us to leave. This trip allowed me a chance to see my old friend, Kovu and his wife, Hailey. I also got to meet his youngest daughter, Linda as well as finding my sister, Chloe. Leaving Jasper was one of the best things that could have happened. Hailey was not only the wife of my friend, but she was also Lilly's best friend when they were pups. That means this trip was good for Lilly as well. She got to see her old friend, meet my old friend, and meet my sister. On top of all that, her birthday was tomorrow.

Of course, this trip was not all good. There were a number of things that were not enjoyable. First bad thing I can think of was Lilly almost dying because of something I did. Her death would have been all my fault. I'm the one that suggested we log-sled down. I'm the one that didn't check for a trench at the bottom. I don't know how I could possibly live with myself if anything bad happened to Lilly. Sure, this trip was not perfect, but I was beginning to realize something that I had never known before. After Lilly and I went tumbling because I pulled her up with too much strength, our eyes made contact for the first time in a long while. Then I remembered how comfortable I felt when she was pressed against me. And what I thought when I saw her sleeping. Lilly looked adorable, curled up like that. These things happened more than once, and I was okay with it. I always wondered why. But after all that has happened, a realization suddenly struck me. Could I ever love again? I knew my answer. Yes. I could still love. But, it was not who I expected. I finally accepted what my heart was trying to tell me this whole time.

I was in love with Lilly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Friend of Mine**

(Humphrey's POV)

I am not sure exactly how long I have been, but it did not occur to me until this moment. How longs has my heart been trying to tell me this? I don't know. What I do know is that I was in love with Lilly. Kate's sister. One of my closest friends since I was a pup. Never, once, had I ever had feelings like this about her. Don't get me wrong; Lilly is a great wolf. She's smart, kind, caring... Loving... Beautiful... She's everything I've ever liked in a wolf. Even though we were closest friends ever as pups, I never even thought I would ever feel this way; Yet, here I am. Sitting deep in the forest, thinking about how much in love with her I am. I felt a smile grow on my face. I think I have always felt this way for Lilly; but never realized it. I always thought I loved Kate. I actually did, but there was always something about Lilly. I knew knew what it was until now. She had been with me since we met as pups. She stayed with me when Kate left for Alpha school. She was there when Kate couldn't be. I was there for her as well. I was her shoulder to cry on before she met Garth.

* * *

_(Lilly's POV)_

Humphrey stood up and told me that he would be back soon. I asked him where he was going and he told me, "I'm just going to take a walk."

I asked, "Want me to come with you?"

He told me, "No. I just need some time alone... to think about something."

I wondered what he had to think about. Before I could say anything else, he had already began walking away. He exited the cave and turned to the right. He seemed to be a little upset about something. I wonder what it was. But, if he needed time alone, then I could at least give him that. Then again, if he is sad about something, then I should probably at least follow him. I got up and started to walk toward the mouth of Kovu and Hailey's cave. Before I left, I told everyone that I was going to see if Humphrey was upset about something. They all nodded their heads before I walked out of the cave and turned right. I used Humphrey's scent to figure out where he went. I followed it, passing the head-Alphas' home. Continuing on, I found myself at the spot where Humphrey fought Zak. From there, I went up the hill and climbed over a log. I remembered this was where Humphrey and I stopped to rest after a long time of walking. I chuckled to myself because we stopped to rest when it only would have taken about a few more minutes of walking to find that we had arrived at our destination. I continued on, following Humphrey's scent still. He must have gone pretty far if I had not found him yet. I followed the scent a few more minutes, being as silent as I could. If Humphrey came out to think, I did not want to interrupt him. Specially if he wanted to be alone. Why did I follow him, then? Well, I had to make sure if he was okay or not.

After another minute of walking, I finally found him. He was just sitting there, his back turned to me. I quietly snuck my way around him. I kept myself hidden behind a bush, but peeked through a branch to check on him. I noticed that he had a smile on his face. I wondered why; but I did not care. As long as he was not sad about something, then I'm okay with it. I backed up from the bush and went back around to his back. I was about to start my way back to Kovu and Hailey's cave, until Humphrey said my name. Did he see me? I turned around to look at him, but he was still facing away from me. I was about to say something, until he began to sing. I listened in surprise because it was about me. I knew it was about me because he said my name just before he began.

_**I've known you for so long**_  
_**You are a friend of mine**_  
_**But is this all we'd ever be? **_  
_**I've loved you ever since**_  
_**You are a friend of mine**_  
_**And babe is this all we ever could be?**_

_**You tell me things I've never known**_  
_**I shown you love you've never shown**_  
_**But then again, when you cry**_  
_**I'm always at your side**_  
_**You tell me 'bout the love you've had**_  
_**I listen very eagerly**_  
_**But deep inside you'll never see**_  
_**This feeling of emptiness**_  
_**It makes me feel sad**_  
_**But then again I'm glad...**_

My heart had to be beating rapidly right now. If it had been beating any faster, it probably would have exploded from all the blood pumping through it. Humphrey had just sung about being in love. With me. Am I supposed to step forward and say something or what? Not feeling like talking to him about it, I backed away, turned around, and ran as fast as I could but stayed silent about it. I was running back to the cave. I had to at least tell the others and ask what I should do. I jumped over the log, ran past the area Humphrey fought Zak, and straight past the Head-Alpha home. I slowed to a stop in front of the cave and saw that everybody was staring at me. Kovu asked me, "Is something wrong?"

I walked inside as I stuttered, "H-Humphrey... H-he's... In love with me."

I laid down near the back of the cave. Hailey, Linda, and Chloe all came up and laid down in front of me. Hailey asked me, "Did he tell you that?"

"No."

Linda said, "Then how do you know he is in lo-"

I interrupted her, "He said my name before he began to sing about being in love with a friend."

That caught them by surprise. I heard Kovu mumble something about Humphrey being a sly dog but I ignored it. Chloe was the first to speak after the short moment of silence, "O-okay, so he _is_ in love with you. But, I have a question for you, Lilly. Do you feel the same way about him?"

That question surprised me. I answered her, "I-I don't know... Maybe..."

**The song featured in this chapter is called "Friend of Mine" by Lea Solonga**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: The Dream  
****_(Lilly's POV)_**

Night had fallen. Kovu, Hailey, Linda, and Chloe were already sleeping. . I wish I could say the same for me, but I was unable to sleep. I was still a little shocked from what I found out earlier. Humphrey was in love with me. Sure, we were best friends as pups, but I never knew that Humphrey felt this way about me. How long has he loved me? The question that Chloe had asked me keeps coming in to my head. Do I feel the same way about Humphrey? I have no idea. What would I say if he actually told me that he loves me? I can't say that I love him too, but I can't say I do either. The best thing I can hope for now is that Humphrey won't tell me. At least, until I know what to say. He most likely won't say it tomorrow because of his sister's wedding. If I can avoid the subject tonight, I'll have all day tomorrow to think about it.

When Humphrey finally returned, I pretended to be asleep. I definitely did not want to talk with him right now. I would have to get used to the news before I would be able to do that. It would be so difficult for me to even look at him the same way anymore. Pretending to be asleep, I could not see Humphrey. I could still sense him though. I forced my ears to stay still so they wouldn't twitch if he said something. My ears had a knack of doing that. Lucky for me, he didn't say anything. Although, I could still hear him. I heard his footsteps going to the other side of the cave. Then, I heard chewing. I knew that he was eating. Everybody had had their fill of caribou that the Alphas brought in. We saved a good amount for Humphrey because he had been gone all day. After that, I heard more footsteps before I heard him whisper, "Good night, Chloe. You've got a big day tomorrow."

Then I heard him walk over to me and lay down at my side. He must have seen me shivering from the cold air of the night. Nuzzling up against me, I felt warmer. Not only from his body heat, but my heart was beating a little more. I could feel it. He whispered to me good night as well and lowered his head. I could feel his head pressing against mine. That was new; he never did that before. At least, not that I knew of. I waited a moment or two to make sure he was asleep before I slowly opened my right eye. I did not need to see Humphrey to know how he was lying. He was on his stomach, on my left side, pressed against me. I felt comfortable than I had earlier because his soft fur was against mine. I looked out of the cave to see the stars out on the sky. I laid there, with my eyes concentrating on the stars, until I fell asleep.

* * *

_The first thing I noticed was that Humphrey was sitting at my right side. The second thing was that we were sitting on a cliff. The third thing was that we were both watching a sunrise. The two of us sat there in silence, mesmerized by the sight out on the horizon. After a minute of staring, Humphrey broke the silence, "Beautiful, isn't it?"_

_I looked at him before smiling and giving a nod of agreement. Before I could even think of what to say, he added, "So are you..."_

_That caught me by surprise, but I didn't react that much because I knew how he felt about me. He said, "I love you, Lilly."_

_Before I could respond, he pressed his lips against mine, bringing me in to a kiss. At first, I wanted to push him away, but I just couldn't. To tell the truth, I was enjoying it. There was no way I was going to pass this up. The beautiful glow of the sunrise. An amazing view from wherever we were at.__ This had to be the most perfect moment for this. My heart was beating like crazy at this point. After, what must have been a few minutes, he pulled away and I noticed that I was lying on my back. He was standing over me, his paws on either side of me. I didn't know what else to say, so I just said, "That was amazing..."_

_He smiled and said, "I love you, Lilly."_

_I hesitated a moment, processing all of this through my mind. He just kissed me, and I didn't fight it. I enjoyed it. Now he's saying he loves me while we look in to each other's eyes. I wrapped my forelegs around his neck, bringing him closer to me. I brought him in until our lips were only about in inch apart. I said, "I love you too, Humphrey."_

_Then I pulled him in that last inch, taking him into a second kiss. Humphrey and I both closed our eyes to savor this moment. I felt the rest of his body press down against mine. Our chests were against each other so hard that I think I could feel his heart beating. It was difficult to tell because my heart was beating so fast. This was when it felt like the whole world was shaking. But not like an earth quake. This was too gentle. Then, I heard Humphrey's voice say, "Lilly. Lilly, time to wake up."_

I opened my eyes back up to see Humphrey standing in front of me. I felt a little upset that the dream had ended. Because now I know that it never actually happened. On the other hand... I knew that I was in love with Humphrey. And I knew from yesterday that he was in love with me. We were both hiding it from each other. He said, "My sister's wedding is today. You want to see how she looks before we go?"

I got up and stretched as I said, "Sure."

I walked at his side over to his sister, who was getting her head fur combed by Linda who was using a pine cone. I smiled at her and said, "Hey there. You nervous?"

"A little bit. Even more so because I don't know who the guy is. But, let's not focus on me at this moment. Today is your birthday, we should be focused on you right now."

Oh my gosh, she's right! Today is my birthday! How could I forge- Wait, how would Chloe know that? She must have known what I was thinking because she smiled and said, "Humphrey told me."

I looked over to him, and smiled before saying, "You remembered?"

His response, "Of course I did. How could I forget my best friend's birthday?"

"Excuse me?" Kovu said from across the cave, "I heard that!"

Humphrey said back, "You're my best _guy_ friend. Lilly is my best _girl_ friend."

Chloe said, "So, she _is_ your girlfriend. I knew it..."

Humphrey snapped his attention back to his sister, "You know what I meant."

She chuckled, "Just teasing."

I noticed her take a short glance at me. Most likely because she knew of Humphrey's feelings for me because I told her and everyone else. I guessed that Humphrey was trying not to show that he had feelings for me. He was doing a pretty good job at it. I would never have expected a thing if I didn't already know. Linda finished with Chloe's hair and decided to change the subject, "So, you have a good sleep, Lilly?"

"Yea... Why?"

Chloe answered, "You seemed pretty happy about whatever you were dreaming about. What was it?"

I had to force myself not to glance at Humphrey. I was most likely blushing under my fur. I am so thankful that I have fur to cover up my blushes. I had to answer Chloe's question, but how can I with Humphrey right here? I just said, "It's kinda embarrassing..."

I figured it was good to stick with the truth if I can. Chloe ruined that plan when she said, "You can tell us."

Humphrey asked, "What was it?"

I was quick to come up with a lie. I said, "I was... uh... swimming. With... turtles."

There was a short moment of silence. I looked around to see everybody staring at me. I could tell everybody was trying to hold back a laugh. Hailey was the first to start laughing, causing a domino effect of laughter going to Kovu, then Linda, then Chloe. I turned to Humphrey to see that he was not laughing. He was just smiling. I asked him why he wasn't laughing. He said, "Sure, it's funny, but you can't choose what to dream about. So, i'm not going to laugh."

I smiled at him. I was glad that he wouldn't laugh at it. I made it up, so I wouldn't have cared either way.

"Excuse me. Kovu?"

Kovu, Linda, and Hailey stopped laughing, obviously recognizing the voice. Chloe, on the other hand, took a couple seconds longer to stop. I looked at the wolf that everybody else was looking at. It was the head Alpha-male of the Southern pack. He said, "I heard Chloe was here."

Chloe raised her paw and said, "You heard right. Something wrong?"

"Not at all. I was just making sure you weren't skipping out on the wedding."

She said, "Of course not. Why would I do that if it meant uniting the packs?"

"Well, I was afraid you heard who they chose to marry you."

Uh-oh. This can't be good.

Chloe asked, "What? Who is it?"

The head Alpha sighed. He must have wanted to avoid this situation. Whoever Chloe was supposed to marry, the head Alpha obviously knew that she might not like it. Chloe asked again, "Who?"

What he said next made my jaw drop from surprise. He said, "You are to marry Zak."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Happy Birthday**

"You are to marry Zak."

My jaw dropped. And I'm positive that I wasn't alone in that. I could tell without even looking around that everybody else was surprised as well. We stood, shocked, in silence, for a few moments before Chloe spoke up, "No... No no no. Not Zak! Please, isn't there anybody else?"

"I wish I could say there was. He's the only one. He is the one that gave the Northern Pack the idea of uniting the two packs in the first place."

"I'm not marrying that killer!"

"What was it you said? '_If it means protecting this pack from having to fight a war, then I would gladly be married to anybody they have chosen.' _They have chosen Zak. If you don't marry him, then we will go to war. Do you want that?"

He was right. I remember her saying that as well. Chloe hesitated, most likely thinking about what to say. She closed her eyes, a tear forcing its way out of her left eye. I could this was a hard decision for her to make. Marry a merciless killer, or let the two packs go to war with each other. I definitely didn't want to see two packs go to war. The Western and Eastern packs came too close to that a couple years ago. It would be difficult for me to handle seeing a war between these two packs. When Chloe finally spoke, she did so with her teeth clenched on the first word, "Fine. I'll marry him. But _only_ if it means keeping the two packs from going to war."

The head Alpha walked in the cave, towards Chloe. He put his paw on her shoulder and said, "I know you don't want to marry him, but it's better than having to fight a war, don't you think?"

She nodded, still clearly upset. The Alpha probably didn't think anything more needed to be said or discussed, so he turned around and walked out of the cave. I could only imagine what must be going through Chloe's mind. She has to be frustrated about the situation. She asked aloud, "How did I get myself in to this?"

I assured her, "You didn't know it would be Zak. But it'll be okay. If it makes you feel better, I think you're doing the right thing; uniting the packs."

"But to marry a killer for that to happen? I don't know how I could possibly live with myself, knowing that he's killed before. Not only that, but I'm so much older than him. I might as well be his mother."

Hailey almost yelled, "Excuse me? I'm not that old."

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Nobody else had anything to say. We kept helping Chloe get ready for her wedding. Kovu and Hailey were helping Chloe sort out exactly what she would need to do. Each step of the process. They did that while I went out and found a blue flower. Chloe let me put it in her hair behind her right ear. It really brought out her blue eyes. I could definitely see the resemblance between her and Humphrey. It was not hard to accept that they were family. They were probably all they had left. Chloe had not yet told us if their parents were here in Glacier or not. I figured they weren't because Chloe would have said something. I'm sure that she would want her parents to see their son after all this time.

Kovu, Hailey, Linda, and I left to join the rest of the pack. I sat next to Hailey since I knew her more than I knew Kovu or Linda. We were all sitting in the back, but we could still see Zak sitting there. I could see there now was smile on his face. Actually, he looked bored. Like he wanted to get this over with and get home. Next to him were two other black wolves that looked almost exactly like him. Only, they weren't as muscular looking. I figured they were his "friends." I doubt they were really his friends. They were probably just afraid he would kill them if they didn't follow his orders. It's so hard for me to see that Zak is Kovu and Hailey's kid. They are so nice and kind. And from what I heard, he's a merciless killer.

It wasn't long before Chloe and Humphrey finally came down. They walked side-by-side, towards the rest of the pack. Chloe looked as if she was trying to force a smile on her face. I could tell she was having difficulty with it, though. Humphrey didn't even bother. He already hated Zak for biting his leg. Humphrey took a seat next to me when they reach us. Chloe kept walking, giving us a nervous glance as if this was the last time she would see us. When she reached Zak, she sat down i front of him. I could tell that Zak was looking at Humphrey. What I couldn't tell was if it was a a glare or not. From this distance, it's hard to be sure about those things. The Head-Alpha, whose name I still didn't know, said, "You two may start when you're ready."

Chloe nodded to him and I think I saw Zak roll his eyes as if to say, "Whatever." The two began to circle each other, looking in their soon-to-be spouse's eyes. I could tell Chloe gulped, nervous about this. I hoped she was reminding herself that this was for the packs. When they finished circling each other, the sat back down, and began to sniff each others faces. This was part of the ceremony, to get familiar with the scent. After that, the two went back to their starting positions. Now, the final act was to finish the ceremony. The kiss. This was probably going to be the hardest part for Chloe, considering she couldn't even smile at him. Chloe leaned forward, slowly, just as Zak was doing. It seemed like hours passed by, without contact. Of course, it was only about a minute or two. I saw Chloe turned her head away like she didn't want to do it. Zak took notice of this and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I can't marry you."

Uh-oh. This can't be good.

Zak was silent for a moment before he asked, "You know what that means, don't you?"

Chloe let a tear escape from her eye, as she nodded. She said, "I know. If there was anybody else, I would be glad to be married. But, I just can not get married to a killer."

Multiple wolves in the crowd started whispering to each other. Chloe looked to Zak for a moment before he jumped at her, tackling her to the ground. I saw that Zak's paw was as Chloe's throat. I heard a few gasps in the crowd. I looked to Humphrey, only to see that he was no longer sitting next to me. I looked around for him. It only took me five seconds because I saw him running through the aisle in the crowd of wolves. Towards Chloe, and Zak. He was quick to get there, which surprised me because of his leg. He must be ignoring the pain. I watched as Humphrey jumped at Zak, pushing him off of Chloe. Zak tumbled to the side. Quick to get back to his paws, he looked at Humphrey who said, "Stay away from my sister."

By now, the crowd of wolves had all backed up, giving the two enough space so nobody would get hurt. Zak and Humphrey circled each other in the large area, looking at their opponent.

Zak smirked and responded, "You're sister? Oh, what a treat! I get to kill siblings today."

"I don't want to fight you Zak. But I will if I have to."

"Let me see what you've got, Omega."

"I may be an Omega, but it's better than being a killer. See, unlike you, I have a heart." Humphrey looked back at me and said, "I can love."

Humphrey turned back to Zak in time to dodge getting scratched on the face. Humphrey ducked under another swipe. He was unable to dodge what Zak did next. Zak tackled Humphrey to the ground, immediately putting his paw down on Humphrey's throat. Humphrey tried pushing Zak off him but was unable to. He choked, "Killing isn't right, Zak."

Zak growled, "I don't care what you think."

Humphrey choked, trying to pull Zak's paw off his throat. He asked, "What would Aleu say if she saw you now?"

The mention of Aleu's name made Zak pause. The look of anger fell off his face. It was replaced with a look of surprise.

A female voice answered from behind me, "I'd say I don't like what you've become."

I turned to see who it was that said that, I thought I was looking at Hailey for a second before I looked to where Hailey was sitting. She was still there. I looked back and forth between the two. They looked exactly alike, which was confusing me at this point. Kovu said, "Aleu... You're back."

Aleu smiled at her father and said, "Yea dad. I'm back."

She hugged both of her parents and asked Linda, "How have you been, sis?"

"Well, I've been better."

Aleu began walking towards where Zak was. He still had his paw pressed down on Humphrey's throat. Humphrey was struggling for air. Aleu said, "Let him go, Zak."

Zak pulled his paw off Humphrey, like Aleu was the boss of him. I heard him take in a big gasp of air. He needed it. Humphrey backed away from Zak a little, ready to defend himself if needed. Aleu assured him he didn't need to, but he couldn't be too careful. Aleu asked, "How have you been, brother?"

Zak didn't respond.

Aleu said, "Like I said earlier; I don't like what you've become, Zak. I want you to be the nice wolf you used to be. Like when we were still pups. When I look at you, all I see the nice pup you used to be. I don't want to think of you as a killer. Specially since you are my brother."

Zak couldn't say anything. He was probably feeling upset with himself. Specially with what his sister was telling him. He looked to the ground. I was not sure of it at this point, but I think a tear escaped his eye. He said, "I don't want to be a killer..."

Aleu took him in to a hug and said, "You're not a killer, Zak. You're my brother."

Linda walked up to them and said, "You're my brother too. I don't like seeing you as anything else."

The crowd was all watching, curiously to see how this would turn out. It was good to see the sibling love they had for each other. It was also good to see that Zak was transforming into a more nice wolf. Chloe took a step forward, Humphrey wanting her to stay back. She said something to him that I couldn't hear and turned back to Zak. She asked, "Does this mean you won't kill anymore?"

Zak nodded, smiling. The crowd of wolves watching all cheered that no more lives would be lost. No more worries about getting killed. They would be able to leave their homes without fear of being murdered. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.

Somebody asked from somewhere in the crowd, "Then, would you marry me?"

A few wolves in the group gasped at the sudden question. Almost everyone was looking around, trying to find who asked the question. I looked around as well, until I saw a girl walking toward Zak. I could not see her eye color, but her fur was almost the same was Zak's. White fur on the face, front paws, tip of the tail, and on her stomach. Black everywhere else. Zak looked at her and I figured that he recognized her because he knew her name. He asked, "You would really marry me, Allie? But— why? I've killed people before, why would you— or, _anyone _want to marry _me_?"

Allie answered, "Two reasons. The first; I trust that you won't hurt anybody anymore. The second; Because I... I use to have a crush on you, Zak."

That surprised Zak so much that I saw him actually take a step back. I looked over to Humphrey and Chloe standing by each other now. I saw the surprise on their faces as well as Linda's and Aleu's. I also saw it on Kovu's and Hailey's faces. Actually, I think there was a surprised look on everybody's face. Zak opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and thought for a second before speaking, "Y-you did?"

She nodded and said, "Before you turned into a jerk. That's why I would want to be around you a lot. Because I loved you."

Zak smiled again. He walked over to her and said, "I loved you too. I was just too shy to say anything."

Zak pushed himself forward, bringing the girl in to their first kiss. Her eyes went wide for a second in surprise at the sudden move. Allie's eyes quickly closed to savor the moment. The crowd of wolves all shared an "Awww" at the scene. Even I couldn't help but join in. I even heard Hailey do it too. Kovu, I can't be sure about. There were too many others for me to hear him if he was. Zak and Allie stayed like that for about a minute or two before they pulled away from each other. Zak smiled at her and asked, "Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will."

Everyone cheered again that there was going to be a wedding today. The Southern and Northern packs were going to be united after all. I looked at Chloe. She was smiling at the scene. I looked at Humphrey, smiling as well. Kovu, same thing. Hailey, of course. Same thing with Linda and Aleu Me, I'm a hundred percent positive that I was as well. Everybody was glad that the packs were finally going to be united. And to think Humphrey almost got himself killed a moment before. If Aleu hadn't shown up, Humphrey would be gone right now. I was going to have to thank her later. I already knew I was going to. Plus, I wanted to meet her because she was my friend's daughter. How could I _not_ meet her?

* * *

_(One Hour Later)_

Me, Humphrey, Chloe, Hailey, Linda, Aleu, Zak, and Allie were all back at their home. Kovu left with the Alphas for the caribou hunt and would be back with dinner soon. Zak and Allie set the date for their wedding. They didn't want to rush it because they don't know each other that well. They wanted to spend time together and meet each others families before getting married. Of course, they wanted the packs united as well so they made sure not to set the date too far away. They decided it would be next week. Humphrey and I asked Kovu and Hailey if it would be okay with them to stay until then. Of course, they allowed it but they had to ask the head-Alphas to be sure it was absolutely okay. Humphrey and I decided that we would go back to Jasper after Zak and Allie's wedding. Zak apologized to Chloe and Humphrey for almost killing them earlier. Awkward conversation? Pretty much. But still, at least the two were alive now.

Now, Humphrey and I are sitting on the ledge outside the cave, just watching the territory. I playfully hit him in the side of the head and said, "That's what you get for almost getting yourself killed."

He chuckled at that and said, "Yea, sorry about that. Give me some credit though, I had to save Chloe. If Aleu hadn't showed up, who knows what might have happened?"

"Yea, that's true. But still, do you know how worried I was? I thought I was going to lose you. I won't be able to handle losing someone else in my life."

Humphrey moved himself a bit closer, put his arm around me and said, "You won't lose me, Lilly. Specially not on your birthday."

I looked at him and he added, "Happy birthday, by the way."

I gave him a smile before saying, "Thanks. What'd you get me?"

That surprised him enough to make his eyes widen and pull his arm off my back. He stammered, "Oh. I—Uh. Well, you see..."

I chuckled, "I'm kidding Humphrey."

He let out a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, good. Don't do that to me, Lilly. You had me worried for a second."

"Good, consider that as a little payback for having me worried earlier."

"Hey, I said I was sorry about that. How long are you going to hold that against me?"

"As longs as it takes for me to forgive you, Humphrey."


	12. Chapter 12

**The Final Chapter**

Humphrey and I continued talking for the next few hours. Nothing much; just going over everything that's happened since we left home. From Humphrey's fight with Zak upon our arrival at Glacier, to the message from the Northern pack, and even on to the log-sled ride that almost ended my life with the trench. We shared our thoughts, and how we felt about the situations. Of course, I was either; Worried, scared, surprised, or excited. What I hid from Humphrey was the fact that I heard him singing about me when he was alone. I wasn't going to bother with that. I was going to see how long it would take him to tell me himself.

When Kovu finally came back, we all took notice of the enormous carcass he had. And to think this wasn't even the whole caribou. I figured this was only the stomach. Even with everybody that was here, we still had enough food for everybody to have their fill. Just to recap, everybody that is here is: Me, Humphrey, Chloe, Hailey, Kovu, Aleu, Linda, Zak, and Allie. I figured that Kovu had to bring back more than usual because his whole family was here now, along with three visitors. I must say, he caught a good caribou. It tasted better than the caribou back home in Jasper. And that's really saying something because the caribou at home were pretty tasty.

Once we were finished eating, everybody turned in for some sleep because the sky had gone dark by now. Allie was worried that her family was wondering where they were, but Zak said he would go with her and explain everything in the morning. With the cold breeze coming in to the cave, it was pretty cold. I knew that Humphrey would keep me warm though. He did. He slept as close to me as he could. He's been doing well at keeping my mind off of Garth and Kate. I know that nothing could ever bring them back. Of course, I still miss them. But, that doesn't change the fact that I can't go through life being upset about it. Humphrey was keeping me happy. I fell asleep with a smile on my face because I of this. That night, I dreamed about Humphrey again.

* * *

_(The Next Morning)_

I opened my eyes and let out a yawn. The first thing I noticed was that Humphrey wasn't next to me. I looked around the cave to see that Kovu and Hailey were still sleeping, as well as Linda and Aleu. Zak was cuddled up with Allie. Chloe was still fast asleep. But, where was Humphrey? I had an idea. I got up, stretched my legs, and went outside to find Humphrey sitting there, watching the sunrise. I sat on his left side. He didn't even look at me, but I wasn't looking back either. I was watching the sun come up over the horizon. We sat, watching it for a minute before Humphrey asked if I had a good sleep. I answered with a smile, "You could say that. How long have you been up?"

"Not long. Just a couple minutes."

We sat in silence for another short moment. Humphrey broke the silence again, "Do you like watching the sun rise?"

I answered him again, "Yea. They're so beautiful."

After another short silent moment, I heard him whisper to himself, "This is the best chance, just say it."

I pretended as if I didn't hear him. I decided that if he had something to say, I would let him do it when he thought he was ready. When he looked at me, he said, "Lilly. I need to tell you something."

I already knew where this was going, but he didn't know that. So, I pretended as if I had no idea. I asked, "What is it?"

"You're my best friend, right?"

I nodded and said, "Of course. Nothing could ever ruin that. Why?"

He looked to the ground and said, "That's all I needed to hear. Because I what I have to say is..."

He looked back up to me and said, "Lilly. I—I..."

"Let me guess. You love me?"

That took by surprise. I smiled at him and said, "I already knew. I heard you singing the other day."

Humphrey was still surprised that I knew. He asked, "Why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted to see how long it would take for you to say it. Didn't take long."

"Now, I have a question for you..."

I tilted my head to the side a little, wondering what it was. I waited for him to ask. He finally did, "What do you think of me?"

"What do I think of you? Well... I think that you're: Kind, caring, definitely the funniest Omega I've ever known, and, definitely brave. But the real question isn't what do I think of you. It's: Do I love you back?"

Humphrey was feeling nervous about what I just said. He waited for me to answer the question. I smiled and said, "Of course I do."

He smiled and before either of us even thought about saying anything else, he leaned in and kissed me. I gladly let him do so. Why wouldn't I? With the orange glow of the sun rising, and with the fact that we both admitted our feelings for each other, this was the perfect moment for this. I closed my eyes, to savor this moment. The kiss was making my heart beat like crazy. Before I knew it, he pulled away and I noticed that I was on my back with my paws around his neck while he stood above me with both of his paws on the ground to either side of my head. Not knowing what else he could possibly say, Humphrey said, "I love you, Lilly."

"I love you too, Humphrey."

"Ahem."

Humphrey and I looked away from each other, to see everybody looking at us. Hailey, Kovu, Linda, Aleu, Zak, even Allie. They were all staring at me and Humphrey, with me still under him. Nobody moved or said anything for a few minutes. We were all frozen. Until Zak broke the silence, "You feel awkward yet?"

Humphrey backed up, and let me stand. I was positive that I was blushing underneath my white fur. Have I mentioned how thankful I am to have fur to hide my blushing? If not, then now you know. Chloe said, "Well... I never thought I'd catch my brother making out. More awkward than I thought it would be."

Humphrey and I couldn't think of what to say. We were both obviously embarrassed about the situation. Kovu finally stepped up to Humphrey's side and said to the others, "Hey, let's not embarrass them anymore than they already are."

Hailey came up to my side and told the others, "Kovu is right. These two are obviously embarrassed and... we're making this even worse, aren't we Lilly?"

I nodded. She turned back and said, "We should probably give these two some privacy."

I pushed my fur back from my eye to let it sit behind my ear as I said, "No. That's okay. We're done."

"Okay then..."

Everybody stood in silence for a few moments. All of us looked confused about what to do next. Until Zak turned to Allie and said, "We should probably go see your parents and explain why you didn't get home."

"Right."

The two started walking but Kovu stopped Zak and said, "Good to see you back as your normal self, son."

Zak smiled and said, "Thanks dad."

As the two began walking away again, Allie waved back, "It was nice to meet you all!"

Linda, Aleu, Kovu, and Hailey all waved back with smiles. Chloe was still smiling at Humphrey, obviously still interested in what she had seen. She came up to Humphrey and said, "So, she's _not _your girlfriend, right?"

That made me start chuckling. Chloe was just as funny as Humphrey. He didn't know how to respond since we just now told each other how we felt. He didn't know whether to say I was or wasn't his girlfriend. Humphrey looked to me for an answer and I just shrugged, not knowing either. I said, "I don't know about the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. First guy I ever liked, we went straight to marriage to unite the packs."

Everyone stood silent for a moment.

Then, Humphrey finally broke the silence, "Hey Chloe... I've been meaning to ask you. Where's mom and dad?"

**_The End_**

* * *

**_Look for The Promise II on my profile to continue the Humphrey and Lilly adventure!_**


End file.
